Deathly Sweet
by DreamingAvidly
Summary: My new group of IchiRuki oneshots. Enjoy!
1. Nothin' Feels Right Without You

_Okay, I had a sleepless night and my mp3 player was playing 'T-Shirt' by Shontelle on repeat._

_This is the result.  
I know it's not great, but my friend said she liked it. So I decided to dedicate this to you Kanya! _

* * *

Nothin' Feels Right Without you

Towel wrapped tightly around her wet figure the raven-haired girl rushed downstairs towards the phone. It had been ringing since she had stepped out of the shower, and she was praying she would get it before the caller gave up.

Her dripping hand took grasp of the device and she jerked the phone up to her ear, "Kurosaki Clinic, how may I help you?"

"Hey, Rukia." Her eyes widened slightly at the callers voice. She hadn't expected _he'd_ call, "I'm just checking up on you guys. Everything okay at home?"

It took her almost a full minute to properly register that he had asked a question, and then she needed to ask him to repeat it.

"Oh, everything's fine." She replied hastily after he asked again, "What about you?" her hand subconsciously tightened a little around the phone, "How are the university tours going?"

Ichigo had left five days previous, with his father, to tour colleges around the country that he may go into next year. Unsurprisingly, when Ichigo sent off his application forms about four months ago, most colleges were more than delighted to accept him.

This is why it would take Ichigo about seven days to visit them all.

"Oh, it's… nice. Yeah, Dad's really loving the college atmosphere. I think he might try to live in one of these campuses himself."

She laughed. That sounded like typical Isshin, "Sounds like you two are having a good time."

"Yeah, like I said; it's nice."

She took the cordless phone to the sofa, dropping herself down onto it, "Have you found anywhere you'd like to go?"

Ichigo responded with an unsure humming noise, "There's a few good looking ones… but it's a little early yet, Rukia."

She nodded, despite the fact he couldn't see her.

"Rukia?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

"So how have you been?" he began then, "Everything okay at home?"

Rukia smiled, "No need to worry, Ichigo. Your house will still be in one piece when you and your father come home."

There was a little hint of uncertainty as Ichigo replied, "That's not what I meant."

Oh, she _really_ wanted to rise him. However, their lengthily absence from one another made the conversation a little too real for jokes.

"Have you been fighting?"

His voice was somewhat hushed now, but Rukia could only roll her eyes in response, "Yes, Ichigo. I _have_ been fighting. It's my job remember… as a _Shinigami_."

She could tell he was scowling now, "Oh really? Well excuse me, midget if I wanted to make sure you weren't bleeding in a ditch somewhere!"

"I'm on the phone now, aren't I?"

This was followed by a growl coming from the other end and Rukia decided she shouldn't push him any closer to the edge. He could be in public for all she knew.

"I'm fine, Ichigo." Her voice had turned softer on its own accord, and Ichigo noticed this easily.

There was a faint mumble at the other end of the line that Rukia couldn't quite make out, "Sorry? What was that, Ichigo? I can't really hear you."

His voice returned in an abrupt sound, "N-nothing! I gotta go now, Rukia. Say hi to Yuzu and Karin for me and dad… and take care of yourself."

She was a little taken aback by the end of his good bye, but managed to keep any surprise from her voice, "Have fun, Ichigo."

Neither would know that once the other had hung up the phone; both stood there saying the same thing.

_I miss you._

Later on Rukia was rummaging through her clothes, looking for an outfit for that night. Tatsuki had won another national competition for her fighting skills, and Inoue decided to throw her a party to celebrate.

About an hour after Ichigo had called that morning, she came to the house and invited Rukia to attend the congratulatory party at her house. Rukia was far from cheerful after hearing Ichigo's call. His voice held none of the wistfulness she was feeling since he had left.

She had been counting on that.

But as Inoue stood there, hopeful as ever, Rukia couldn't find it in her heart to turn her friend down. So she used the term, 'You bet!'

How she loathed that phrase right now. It had left her with no way out, not loophole to be found.

She looked in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time that evening, and _still_ wasn't pleased with what she had on.

_This is ridiculous_, her mind bellowed as she gazed back at her reflection. She was wearing a black silk dress with a silver flower design that came to a halt just above her knees, a pair of silver heels adorned her feet and her hair was up in a messy but stylish bun. She would have looked – to any man – stunningly beautiful.

But Kuchiki Rukia didn't see that in the reflection.

She saw instead; the black dress that she had worn to her dear friend's eighteenth birthday; she could see the silver heels _he_ had bought for _her_ 'eighteenth' birthday. She could also see the bun his sister had taught her how to style on one of the many nights he and she were asked to babysit the twins.

Kurosaki Ichigo was all over her.

But he was nowhere to be found.

Whenever she attended these student parties, Ichigo always came with her – whether he wanted to or not. When she would ask him why he bothered, his answer usually ended up insulting her about her height, so she had stopped asking long ago.

Not that she minded having her orange-haired friend escort her to and from these parties. It usually kept the idiot males in his class from hitting on her or asking her to dance.

And he always gave her his jacket on the walk home.

Rukia shook her head of these thoughts, refusing to see anything more to them. After all… if Ichigo really _did_ care, wouldn't he be here?

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach answered her question for her.

Over the past few months, Rukia had finally come to understand why Shinigami were forbidden to become attached to humans.

She had fallen for the idiot that was Kurosaki Ichigo.

She had fallen _hard._

She would never be alright with Ichigo leaving Karakura town. She would never be okay about only seeing him on weekends. She would never be fine when he would mention the new girl he met. Things wouldn't be good when he took that girl home to meet his family.

Things would be _far_ from perfect when he would come to marry that girl.

Ichigo was now an adult, and moving on in his life. And she…

She was holding him back.

He was perfectly alright being as far away from her as he was now, but the distance was tearing her apart.

She didn't bother to wipe away the tear that was slowly making its way down her cheek. He would never feel for her as she had come to feel for him.

That was final.

Loophole or not, Rukia was most definitely _not_ attending some stupid party in her current state. She still looked stunning, but inside she felt like she was being stabbed with blunt, rusted daggers. Her heart pained excruciatingly, and she hurt so bad it frightened her.

Rushing into the hallway Rukia ran from her room to the only place she had ever felt safe. Slamming the door behind her she looked around at her safe haven, her sanctuary.

_His_ room.

The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over everything, only reminding her even more of the room's usual inhabitant. Her eyes still glassy with tears, Rukia drifted over to the near wall, and pulled open the closet.

It was empty – of course – but something about its small confines seemed welcoming to Rukia, and she quickly slipped inside before sliding the door shut behind her.

It was dark, and it was warm, but it wasn't what she wanted. She wanted relief… but she felt even more isolated now, lying on the sheets inside the wardrobe. It usually had his scent, but Yuzu had been cleaning in Ichigo's room while he was gone, and now all she could smell was lavender.

Not even strawberry.

Grudgingly Rukia hopped from the wardrobe and took another look around Ichigo's room. She wasn't always going to be the only girl to sleep there. She wasn't always going to be Ichigo's partner.

They would drift apart over time.

And she was far from ready.

A shrill ringing sounded through out the room, and Rukia thanked God for it. A Hollow would help put her thoughts at ease. Without a second thought, she left her sanctuary.

The fight had been long and tiring, but Rukia came back pretty much unharmed. A couple of scratches here and there didn't really count as injuries anymore.

Oh, but she was exhausted, and the fighting had only prolonged her thoughts of _him_… until now.

It had passed midnight – Karin and Yuzu were no doubt asleep by now, and Rukia really didn't want to disturb them. She quietly slipped through Ichigo's window, careful not to make a sound as she dropped to the floor.

It was a clear night, and a full moon provided the room with plenty of light for Rukia to navigate the bedroom successfully.

She opened the closet door, willing to sleep in there tonight, but found that the covers that had been inside earlier were now gone. Yuzu must have been cold.

She muttered a few curse words as she ripped the heels she had been wearing off her feet, realising she didn't even have a pair of pyjamas.

_This is just wonderful…_ she scowled walking away from the closet. Sitting on the edge of Ichigo's bed Rukia felt something at her leg. Reaching for it she realised it was Ichigo's _Nice Vibes_ t-shirt.

_He must've been _pissed_ when he figured out he forgot this._

She smirked at the thought, before clearing her mind and focusing on the matters at hand.

His shirt still carried his scent. Rukia was suddenly overwhelmed by the spicy but sweet smell that she would always get from Ichigo.

She knew she was becoming desperate. If he brother saw her now… he'd most likely disown her, but right now she didn't care – she just wanted to be close to him.

Without another thought for or against the idea, Rukia slipped out of her black dress and tights and threw Ichigo's shirt over herself. Before exhaustion could fully take hold she found herself pulling back the covers of Ichigo's bed and slipping inside.

She truly missed him, and though she'd never admit it, she hated being away from him for so long.

He would never understand.

_Just tonight, _she thought sleepily as she cuddled into the shirt and closed her eyes, _he won't even know I was here._

"Wow… that was a long trip back. I'm surprised we managed to fit it into a single day." Isshin yawned as he fell back onto the couch – his suitcase dropped on the floor beside him, "But we're home, just like you asked, son."

Ichigo nodded, gazing around the house a little apprehensively. He wouldn't admit it, but he had been both expectant and afraid to find a long trail of blood inside leading to Rukia's mangled body and a sneering Hollow.

But his home was quiet, and there were no Hollow nearby.

The orange-haired boy jerked when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "You missed her then, I take it?"

Ichigo met his father's gaze with a scowl, but after a moment he heaved a sigh and reluctantly nodded, "Yeah… I missed her a lot."

"I'm just surprised it took you this long to figure it out."

Ichigo shook his head, and was surprised by just how much easier he felt to see his father understood why he had to come back, "When did you 'figure it out'?" he found himself asking.

Isshin's smirk widened, "Which part?" he asked amusedly, "Because I know you've loved our Rukia-chan since –"

"What?!"

Ichigo was now a bright crimson as he stared wide-eyed at his father.

Isshin just waved him off, "Oh, please! I may seem like a foolish old man, but I _know_ my son!" he watched as Ichigo bowed his head, in both embarrassment and understanding, "And I figured out your reason for going home when you gave me that lame excuse about your t-shirt."

He heard his son mutter something along the lines of 'my favourite t-shirt', but paid no heed really as he told Ichigo he should head upstairs and go to sleep.

"You have all the time to speak to my third-daughter in the morning. Please just let her sleep tonight. It's a little late for emotional reunions and romantic confessions." He paused thoughtfully for a minute, "But I _would_ love grandchildren…"

Ichigo marched upstairs with a face as red as a tomato, while Isshin nursed a suspected broken nose.

"That's my boy."

The door creaked a little while Ichigo pushed it open.

He had wanted so badly to have went straight to Rukia. He didn't know where his sudden will had come from, but right now all he cared about was letting her now that he needed her. While he had been searching through the colleges, he didn't feel like he could live anywhere. No where felt like home. It took his far too long to figure out what was missing.

_Her._

He desperately wanted to tell her this. This new understanding that he _needed _her. He had always known that… but now it felt so much more real. Rukia was, after all, the one who had made the rain stop all those years ago.

He had been so blind.

But no more.

He closed the door softly behind him before turning to notice something truly shocking.

"Rukia?"

She didn't respond, but let out a quiet snore as she turned on her side in his bed. Ichigo stood there, still with surprise as he watched her through the moonlit room. He noticed something more, Kuchiki Rukia was in his bed, wearing _his _t-shirt…

"Ichigo…"

And dreaming about _him_?

Her voice sent an electric current through his body. He had missed her terribly, and seeing her like this helped him believe that she may have missed him too.

Impulse took over, and Ichigo quickly found himself at the other side of his bed, and shirtless. He gently pulled back the covers from Rukia and slid underneath them himself.

His heart was throbbing in his chest as he slowly edged closer to the small girl in his bed. Almost the second he made contact with her back, Rukia moved so that she could face him and buried her face into his chest before letting out a contented sigh – still sound asleep.

It was perfect.

He lay there, wide awake for most of the night. Wondering what he would say to this beautiful girl in his arms when the time came. And at some point, the girl in his arms stirred. Ichigo hadn't even realised until she spoke his name, in a voice that made him wonder why he ever let her stay behind.

"Ichigo?" her voice was no more than a quiet sob this time.

"Shh…" he replied, squeezing her closer. Her little body fit against his without flaw and Ichigo spoke the only words on his mind at that moment, "I've missed you."

He could then feel Rukia relax as he held her, and a pair of soft lips brush against his chest. He returned the favour by kissing her sweetly on the forehead.

"I never want you to leave again." Her request was simple.

He grinned sleepily into her raven hair, "I can deal with that, but in return I want you in my bed a lot more often, and wearing my shirt is a bonus." He added with another soft kiss to the crown of her head.

He felt her smile against him,

"It's a deal."

* * *

**A/N: **_I think I'll make this into my new group of IchiRuki one-shots. So let me know what you think and I might updatd with a new idea soon!_


	2. Little Miss Independent

Little Miss Independent

"Ichigo, get your butt in gear! We're gonna be late for school!"

Her voice echoed flawlessly upstairs, where the orange-haired teen was hurriedly buttoning his shirt, "Yeah, yeah… relax Rukia, there's plenty of time! – Don't want your midget head exploding…" the last part had been muttered, but somehow she had caught it.

"What was that, Kurosaki?!"

"N-nothing!" Ichigo quickly finished getting dressed and rushed downstairs. Something about the small raven-haired girl always had him rushing…

_Who does she think she is anyway?_

Despite this cynical thought, the orange-haired teen found himself smiling as he came to a halt at the doorway. She had begun walking to school with him about two weeks ago, saying she'd rather sleep in than hang around an empty school-yard for the morning. But something in the way she said that, had Ichigo set on this crazy idea that _maybe _she wanted to spend some time with him.

He looked around the empty hallway, "Rukia, for someone who pushes everybody else you sure are slow."

"Oh, shove it Ichigo." Her voice came from the living room, where she stood in by the sofa trying to fix the zip on her skirt, "The damned thing's stuck!"

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo dropped his bag at the door he walked over to her, "Give it here…"

As his hand reached for the zip however, all it came in contact with was her own. "Ow!" he glared down at her, retracting his hand, "I'm only trying to help, Midget! Have a little appreciation."

"I don't _need_ you're help!" she grumbled, finally fixing the zip up properly and rearranging her school jumper, "I'm not a child!"

As she walked away however, Ichigo muttered something along the lines of 'could've fooled me'.

He went to school that day with a limp, and the important reminder;

Rukia is _not_ one to require help.

* * *

"Okay," she spoke after a moment's thought, "There's two of them Ichigo, so I'll watch the one on the left and you take the right, got it? And watch out for their tail."

The Hollow in front of them looked more mythical than any of the ones he had seen before. One body, but two heads. The orange-haired teen smirked confidently however, "You're the boss." He shrugged before dashing towards his target.

Despite the extra brain, this Hollow was pretty stupid, and Ichigo was far too quick for it. He made an easy kill on his part, but he could see Rukia was struggling.

"Rukia?" he called over.

"Don't worry – " she slipped past yet another attack, "I got it!"

And he knew she did. Rukia wasn't the kind to ever ask for his help, but half the time she didn't need it anyway. Ichigo found himself gazing intently as she practically danced around her opponent, gracefully manoeuvring her attacks in time with her movements, almost like there was a rhythm to what she was doing. There was something… sexy about it.

Ichigo was then shaking his head frantically, disturbed by his own thoughts. He had just associated Rukia with _sexy. _Thoughts like these had been invading his mind a lot lately.

There was just something about her…

Less than thirty seconds later, the Hollow was down and Rukia was hopping up to meet him.

"Time to go home." Ichigo stated, still a little rigid from listening to his own mind. No doubt, that Hollow of his had something to do with it.

Rukia shook her head, "Nope!"

"What? Another Hollow?" His lack of enthusiasm was obvious, but Rukia shook her head again.

"No. I mean, it's time for you to buy me ice-cream."

Ichigo gave her an incredulous look, before laughing, "You're kidding right?" upon seeing the lack of humour in the raven-haired girl he continued more forcefully, "No, Rukia."

And that was that.

He wished.

Ichigo heaved a sigh, watching how the small girl he had come to call his 'partner' stood on her toes to see over the counter at the ice-cream parlour.

"What flavour would you like, missy?" the woman asked, giving Rukia the same kind of smile she would any other spoiled brat that came in there. Ichigo thought it was appropriate.

The petite Shinigami however, couldn't quite choose. She gave Ichigo a passing glance before an idea dawned on her, "I want strawberry!"

Ignoring the hidden joke behind her order, Ichigo nudged her, causing the raven-haired 'missy' to scowl up at him. "Say _please_, Rukia."

She made a frustrated pout before turning back to apologise for her bad manners, and then say please.

The woman assured her it was alright, and kept that smile as she looked over to Ichigo, "It's couple's day here today, so if you two are together we have an ice-cream special you may be interested in."

Ichigo tried to return the smile that _he _was now receiving – very unprofessionally as far as he was concerned – and was about to explain that the couple's special _wasn't_ for them. The words had not the chance to leave his mouth however, as Rukia was suddenly wrapping herself around his waist and nuzzling against his chest.

"Wow! It's so thoughtful of your establishment to consider us love birds once in a while." She said in her most exaggerated school-girl voice, while pulling Ichigo's arms around her to add to the effect. He could only stare blankly as embarrassment took it's time to react…

She always _did_ have her own way, after all…

And a very pink-faced Ichigo, could only glare at the midget as the parlour's staff came down to their table with a heart shaped dessert and doing a terrible attempt at singing 'I Will Always Love You'.

Rukia played it up for the whole three minutes and seventeen seconds. What's worse – she even gazed up at Ichigo almost lovingly while she did so.

And he said she could never act…

* * *

"He- Help!"

Ichigo awoke, startled by a noise. Had that been…?

"Ichigo!"

Jumping from his bed, Ichigo ran towards the closet, throwing open the door to see what was wrong. Inside he found Rukia, still asleep, but her expression told him immediately what was the matter.

She was having a nightmare.

This happened quite often. Almost every night in fact. Ichigo would usually stay beside her and whisper 'it's okay' and 'I'm here' until Rukia had calmed down. But tonight she seemed more frantic than ever.

"N-no! Kaien, no! Ichigo!"

That did it. He wouldn't wake her. She would only get embarrassed at something as 'childish' as a nightmare. Tonight he'd try something new though. He quietly slipped inside the closet himself, sliding the door shut behind him before he moved to lie down beside the small girl.

She was whimpering now. Her voice piercing him, as her body shook. He wrapped his arms around her _willingly_ this time, and held her against his chest.

"It's alright, Rukia. I'm here."

After about ten agonizing minutes – on Ichigo's part – Rukia's sobs quietened somewhat, and her breathing came more evenly. Satisfied that her bad dream was over, a sleepy Ichigo began shuffling out of the closet.

He still however, when a small hand took hold of his wrist.

"Don't leave me alone, please."

She was still half asleep, but her voice had sounded so vulnerable, so weak. Ichigo felt himself smiling. That said, he wasn't going to be able to spend the whole night in the closet. It was small enough with just her inside, "Okay Rukia, but I'm going to move you to my bed, okay?"

The sleeping Shinigami nodded slightly as Ichigo hopped from the closet and lifted her out after him before carrying her over to his bed. He lay her down close to the wall before getting in after her, keeping a safe distance between them.

"Good night, Rukia." He mumbled, slipping into an easy sleep.

* * *

At about 4am, Kuchiki woke suddenly. She had no idea why she had woken up, but Rukia assumed it had been her soul pager ringing. She reached out for the small device, but instead found something else. After far too long Rukia realised exactly _what_ she had found.

"Ichigo!" she screeched, jumping away.

The orange-haired teen bolted up right at the sound of his name, "What?" his voice was drowsy as he looked around the room, then fixed his eyes on Rukia, "What's wrong now?"

She stared disbelievingly at her friend, "What's _wrong_?!" she hissed, "What am I doing in your bed, Kurosaki?!"

Ichigo wore a mixture of expressions, embarrassment, exasperation and worry.

"I moved you over here." He said with a bit of a shrug.

"Why would you _do_ that?!"

Impatience was now showing more strongly, "Because you _asked_ me to!"

It was her turn to show embarrassment, and when she was embarrassed her voice would sound more boss-like than ever, "I did no such thing!"

Ichigo had no patience left, and before he would lose it with her, she watched him roll his eyes, "Whatever, Rukia. Just go back to sleep. Here _or_ the closet."

Turning to lie back down, he knew she was glaring at him now, "The closet sounds _much_ more welcoming, but I'll probably need an alarm fitted in case you plan on snooping in there in the middle of the night again."

Boss or not.

She had broken him.

She yelped in surprise when he jumped back up and took hold of her shoulders, "You stubborn, thick-headed, _independent_ bitch!" he almost shouted, "You can't just accept _help_ once in a while!"

"I don't _need_ your help, Ichigo!" she growled, giving his that look that always told him to back off. But not tonight.

Instead Ichigo laughed without humour, "Oh, but you _do, _Rukia! And you have no idea how hard it is for me to just sit back and let you suffer on your own!"

She didn't speak, and he found himself shaking her shoulders, "Open up, Rukia! Depend on me once in a while!"

"Why?! Why can't you just _leave_ me alone?!"

Her eyes were glassy now, and Ichigo knew he was winning. He dropped his voice, and loosened his grip on the small girl. If he wanted _her_ to open up, _he'd_ have to give it a shot too.

"I don't want to, Rukia." He saw her look up in surprise as he brought his hand to her cheek, "I want to be there to tell you the nightmares will go away. I want to help you when you need it; assure you when you're doubtful; be there for you when you feel alone." He heaved a sigh when he noticed she hadn't changed her expression once through out that speech, "Rukia, I wanna hold you and keep you from _all_ the crazy shit we have to deal with everyday, but I know I can't do that. I _can_ help you through it though. Just let me."

"It was just a nightmare." She spoke in a soft, fragile voice.

He smiled a little softer now, as his voice was almost velvety, "Then don't sleep alone."

"But – !"

Her eyes widened when his hand covered her mouth, "Rukia, I know you. I know you don't like feeling weak, but I want you to be _able_ to feel weak around me. You can be as broken as you want when we're on our own, and I swear I'll be there to help."

A wet tear his hand as he pulled it back from her lips. Her gaze bore into his, "You promise?"

He nodded, "Only if you promise."

That night, Rukia slipped back into a peaceful sleep, with Ichigo wrapped gently around her. She would get better at opening up to him, and she knew he wanted to be more honest with her too.

Kuchiki Rukia had learned a valid lesson.

Love _depends_ on dependence.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, hey there again peoples. I'm back with yet another of my ficies, which I hope you all enjoy, though I'm not too sure about this one myself.  
I kinda randomised it, but I think in a good way.  
I was listening to Ne-yo 'Miss independent' on repeat, so whenever I wasn't dancing around my room this was my fic inspiration!

I'd like to dedicate this to its requester KoriChi  
PLEASE don't hate me if you think it's terrible!

Oh yeah, and enjoy! hehe


	3. Touched

_

* * *

_

Touched

_In today's news…_

_Three for the price of two…_

_The perfect gift for any woman…_

_For sensitive teeth…_

It was official, Rukia thought, there's absolutely _nothing_ on tv. Flipping of the television, the raven-haired girl left down the remote and decided to head upstairs.

Ichigo had left on a Hollow hunt about three hours before hand. She had offered to help him, but he said she had too much homework to get done. Rukia heaved a sigh as she trudged up the stairs. She did have a lot of homework, and really wished she hadn't listened to Ichigo when she figured that one out. It had taken her nearly two hours to get through all the maths alone, and when she was finally done she had decided to go downstairs to find…

There was absolutely _nothing_ on tv.

And that had been Rukia's exciting evening. She planned to take up one of Ichigo's mangas and read it when she walked into his room. She was surprised to find Ichigo lying on his bed. His face was pressed into the pillow.

"Oh, hey carrot-top." She spoke half-heartedly as she entered the room. Ichigo made no effort to respond however and Rukia doubled back, giving him a proper glance this time, "Ichigo?"

"What?"

She recognised that tone. Something had gone wrong.

"A-are you okay?"

She heard a muffled scoff from the pillow, "Oh yeah, Rukia. I'm fine…" came his sarcastic reply.

Rolling her eyes, Rukia edged closer, "Stop trying to get rid of me and tell me what happened."

Now Ichigo looked up from his bed. His expression was a mixture of whatever was troubling him, and curiosity with regards to how Rukia knew what he had been doing.

What happened?

He wished she hadn't asked, and tried to pretend he hadn't heard. When she repeated the question however, it felt like a knife was being run through him repeatedly.

"I… was too slow."

Ichigo had buried his face into the pillow again, and Rukia bowed her head. She knew full well what that meant. It meant that Ichigo had lost a soul to a Hollow. It rarely happens, especially to him, but when it does, he usually manages to beat himself up pretty badly about it.

"It happens to us all, Ichigo…"

He heaved a sigh of frustration, "You didn't see it, Rukia… she was just a _kid_." His voice cracked a little as he lay stiff on the bed. Rukia bit her lip, sitting down on the bed at his side.

He wasn't going to let this go easily. And if he couldn't, it would end up effecting him in all of his battles. She had seen it happen to him before. He needed to relax, to relieve himself a little so he could move on. She had an idea.

Ichigo tensed when he felt her small hands press against his shoulder blades. They began to move in slow, circular patterns.

"Rukia, what are you doing?" he asked suspiciously, trying to look around, but she quietly hushed him.

"I'm just trying something. Stay still."

She applied a little more pressure against his muscles and Ichigo felt himself losing some tension. Rukia smiled as she noticed the apparent success of her plan. She gently squeezed at his shoulders and found that her friend was no longer stiffing at her touch.

She didn't realise however, that Ichigo was working hard to remain silent.

"Is this better, Ichigo?" she asked softly as she kneaded the base of his neck. This was strangely relaxing, watching Ichigo unwind like he was now. Rukia was surprised by how contented she felt being this close to the orange-haired teen.

He slowly nodded, and she continued. She ran her hands across his shoulders, rubbing a little rougher this time. Ichigo felt a strange burning sensation wherever her hands made contact with him. It was a by no means uncomfortable

A gruff sound make her pause.

"Ichigo?" she asked; worried she may have hurt him this time.

"So good…" he practically groaned, and she found her eyes widening.

She smirked, "I'm good, huh?"

He grumbled something to the alternative and Rukia's smirk only widened. She returned to rubbing around his shoulders and neck, and was pleasantly surprised to hear him continue to sound out approval. She dared to roam a little; moving her hands down to the middle of his back instead, and back up.

His next words however were a sudden surprise.

"Harder. Please, Rukia."

She could have gasped, but she wasn't quite aware of it at that moment. She bit down on her lip a little, as she put more pressure on him. His next groan was much more rugged than the others, and the raven-haired girl blushed to hear it.

"That's it… right there…"

She was enjoying this; hearing him make these sounds… because of _her_. Something about it made Ichigo seem so unguarded, so open. Open to her.

Feeling a little braver, she slowly leaned forward, and breathed against his ear, "Right here, Ichigo?" she pressed against a spot on the small of his back for emphasis. He made a deep throaty sound in response.

"You have no idea how good that feels..." he sighed contentedly, and Rukia smiled.

"I think I might."

"Not yet."

She noticed a pink tint in his ears that had been there for a while now, and she could only match him when he looked around. His cheeks were a little flushed and his breathing was rougher than usual as he held her gaze.

She had crossed a line with Ichigo today, and he knew it. He turned now, lying on his back as he silently watched her. Rukia was surprised by how self-conscious she suddenly felt, and though she wanted desperately to look away, she couldn't.

Slowly, he sat himself up on the bed. She felt his hand on her arm then, as he gently directed her down onto the bed the same way he had been moments before.

"Ichigo…"

His hot breath was at her ear then, "Shh, Rukia. I just wanna try something."

She felt her cheeks grow furiously red now, "That's my line, idiot."

Ichigo shrugged, "Whatever works."

Before she could protest further, Ichigo had slipped his hand up under the fabric of her shirt. Rukia gasped as his hand rubbed up her bare back. His touch set off a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach, and Rukia quickly found herself gripping on Ichigo's bed covers.

"Good?" his voice was like velvet as he continued to rub gently at her shoulders, relaxing her muscles wherever he managed to caress.

"Yes…" came her feeble response, and Ichigo stifled a laugh. That was, until it became all very serious.

"Lower…"

His amber eyes widened at her request. "What?"

"Please, Ichigo. Lower."

He wanted to ask her if she was sure, but before he had the chance, she had begun squirming.

Feeling daring, Ichigo moved to the small of her back; kneading around her hips Rukia let out a small gasp followed by a relaxed sigh.

"Better?" he asked, slightly shaky.

She nodded, "But lower…"

His brow furrowed, surely she understood where this was leading him. Releasing a breath he hadn't realised he was holding, Ichigo slowly roamed further down her back until he came in contact with the rim of her Chappy sweatpants. He decided that this was as far as she would ask him to go, and began purposefully massaging the area he had stopped at.

She muttered something Ichigo didn't quite catch. But he found himself oddly hopeful…

"What, Rukia?"

Her voice was extremely shy as she spoke up only a little, "I said… lower…"

Ichigo froze in place, his eyes never leaving the back of her head, "Rukia…"

At the apprehension in his voice, Rukia froze. There was a long moment of silence, before she dared to speak to him again, "I'm sorry Ichigo… I don't know what came over me." She slowly pushed herself up, turning her back from him. He finally met her gaze.

Her violet eyes were hazed, and she looked like she had experienced the same strange sensation he himself had previously.

It was at that moment that Ichigo realised he would have gone _much_ further, given the chance. He had fallen for the Shinigami that now sat on his bed; and from the look in her eyes, he guessed she may feel the same.

He leaned closer to her, his hand gently finding its place on the small of her back, as the other reached up to touch her flushed cheek. She looked lost as she searched his gaze for something.

"Ichigo…" she breathed, her voice nervous, but a little longingly.

"Right here, Rukia?" he asked softly as his hand played with the hem of her pants. She let out a stunned gasp, but nodded. His other hand held the back of her head, and slowly – _so_ slowly – he pulled her head closer so their lips could touch.

He met her with a soft, gentle kiss that ended far too quickly for either of them.

Rukia opened her eyes, meeting his with a hooded gaze. "Again?" she almost pleaded.

The words had barely left her mouth before his lips claimed hers once again. This kiss was much stronger. Rukia moaned as they moved against each other in sync. Her hands quickly found his orange hair, and she tugged. Ichigo let out a throaty growl as he continued to kiss her boldly. She had forgotten what had started this surreal event, until Ichigo rolled on to his back and roughly cupped her butt.

Rukia moaned loudly, and Ichigo took this advantage to enter her. They fought for dominance as Ichigo continued to caress her extremely sensitive behind.

"Ichigo…" she gasped as the orange-haired teen broke away from her to trail kisses along her collar bone.

"Hmm?"

She panted against him as she struggled to gather her thoughts, "I think I… I – "

He was at her lips then, but he had stopped kissing her. Their foreheads touched as Ichigo stared straight into her violet orbs.

"That Hollow today… it taught me a lesson." His gaze dropped just a bit as he continued, "I need to keep getting better," he gently kissed her lips, "I need to keep getting faster," he moved down to her chin, "I _need_ to keep you safe," his lips brushed against her nose, "I need to keep you with me."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer as she rested her head on his chest. After an instant's silence, she leaned up, taking his hand in hers.

"Ichigo… You _always_ get faster," she spoke as she numbly played with his fingers, "You always work to improve. I will always be fighting by your side, because you will _always_ have me."

"Rukia…"

The raven-haired girl hushed him once more however, "It's okay, Ichigo. This –" she gestured between them, " – doesn't need words."

He smiled, hugging her tight against him. His lips brushed against her hair, and he truly felt relaxed for the first time in years, "With you, Rukia. Who needs words?"

* * *

**A/N**_: Alrighty! Another chapter just popped into my head this morning while I should've been studying =P  
The idea came to me in a rush. One moment I was like "Jeez, this biology crap is stressful!" then I saw the head massager thingie my mom owns and thought, "What if..." and you guys know the rest._

_I hope you liked it, and I'm gonna go to bed now! hehe ^^  
Tell me what you think! Thanks to those who have reviewed so far!  
Bye for now,  
Kami! _


	4. Sleepover Fun and Stolen Kisses

Sleepover Fun and Stolen Kisses

"Thank God!"Ichigo breathed, finally collapsing on his bed that night. It had been quite a long day.

Not that there had been any Hollow reports, or other Shinigami business to take care of, but today was his sisters' – Karin and Yuzu's – birthday, and damn his father for putting _him_ on party duty.

Kuchiki Rukia had, of course, been invited. After all, she did share a room with the twins, and over their time knowing the raven-haired midget they had all seemed to get pretty close. However, that did not take anything from the fact that she had been the _worst_ of the group to look after!

Due to her size she had managed to sneak her way into the kiddies' play centre. Ichigo hadn't even noticed until he had paid for the group, turned around and realised that Rukia had vanished. Then again, vanished was him being optimistic at a time like this. Instead he found her doing summersaults on one of the children's bouncy castles, and it was also safe to say she had gotten herself into enough trouble for the whole party of girls there.

After an embarrassing talk with the manager as to '_why_' he had been found prying the midget from the big slide, they all set off to the cinema to watch _Bloody Lu 2_, Karin's choice of movie, of course. Rukia had managed to scream so much that the only thing he could do to prevent them getting kicked out was sit the raven-haired _Shinigami_ on his lap, letting her bury her face in his chest, and tell her – as requested – when the 'scary parts' were over.

When they eventually got home, Rukia laughed for twenty minutes when his father brought out the strawberry birthday cake, and said that the frosted strawberries did indeed resemble the man beside her. _Then_ she made him wear one of those ridiculous birthday hats while she stuffed herself with ungodly amounts of sugar, _and _made him join in when they sang _happy birthday_, along with five other screeching little girls.

Isshin then popped into the living room with his camera and all of his sisters' friends forced him into taking a picture with Rukia on their own. His father demanded he put his arm around the midget's shoulders and made sure that they 'squeezed together' for the shot. Once the photo popped out, Isshin ran over to the massive portrait of his late mother and practically bellowed "Isn't this wonderful, Masaki! Our new daughter-in-law looks just lovely!"

The girls then watched some Tv, while Isshin tended to a bloody nose, and after they headed up to his sisters' room Ichigo was left to clean up the party area so they could have a fun night of 'sleepover games'.

He shuddered at the thought.

Just then, the door creaked open a few inches, letting light into the dim room as Kurosaki Isshin slipped inside.

"Don't you knock?!" Ichigo snapped, though due to his own exhaustion his voice wasn't quite as harsh as he would have liked, which made his father scoff.

"Do I ever?"

Sighing, the orange-haired teen flicked on his bed-side lamp squinting at his father while his eyes adjusted to the brightness, "What do you want, old man?" he asked cautiously as his father approached him with his hands hidden behind his back.

Before Ichigo could beat him away however, Isshin held up a photo frame, "I thought I'd get this one done first," he began rather sweetly, placing the item down on the desk beside his son, "You looked pretty happy… both of you."

Ichigo scoffed, but couldn't quite fight back the tinge that forced its way to his cheeks, "Thanks… I guess." He replied, shoving the photo frame into his desk drawer.

His father then let out a loud chuckle, "Don't do anything out-of-line with that picture of Rukia-chan now, son! Got it?" Oh, he 'got it' alright.

Ichigo launched himself from his bed, flying a kick to his father's jaw that sent the old man smashing against the far wall of the hallway, "Pervert!" Ichigo roared before slamming the door in his Isshin's face. He lay back on his bed, closing his eyes and listening to his father mouth off some more about him to the poster downstairs.

It didn't take long before that photo was taken out of the drawer again. It was a good picture; Ichigo had to admit that. He noted how he had actually smiled for the shot without realising it.

The midget looked happy too…

Ichigo silently wondered if this was just the way he was naturally around Rukia, then he cringed at the thought of absently wearing such a dumb smile on his face _all_ the time. He quickly dismissed the thought, placing the photo on his desk now, before shutting off the light. It didn't take him very long to fall to sleep, though his thoughts were beyond disturbing.

_Rukia looked… kinda cute. _

_It felt nice, having my arm around her like that. _

* * *

"Okay, Rukia-chan, your turn! Truth or dare?"

The raven-haired girl tilted her head a little, pondering her fate.

"Truth." She replied confidently, knowing that these children didn't _really_ know that much about her to be asking any _serious_ questions. She could always _lie_ anyway. How would they be the wiser?

The group before her began giggling giddily and whatever confidence Rukia had was slowly slipping.

"Do you like Kurosaki-kun?"

"**What?!**"

"Don't forget! You have to tell us the truth!" another girl cruelly added.

Rukia gave off a nervous laugh, "Heh… of course I like Ichigo! We're friends!" She had found a loophole! A wave of relief crashed down on her then, and for the life of her she couldn't explain why.

The girls did not seem satisfied by her answer however, "That wasn't what we meant…" one of them muttered.

Yuzu gave a friendly smile – as usual – and calmly agreed that the question was quite vague and that Rukia-chan had not lied or broken any rules; she just answered.

So the game continued, each party goer giving up secrets one-by-one. Talking about the boys they like, giving out embarrassing information, silly jokes and more.

Then the question returned to the raven-haired girl, and she was prepared to avoid a most likely very well-thought question involving Ichigo this time.

"Rukia-chan, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." Came her off-hand response, and she watched as a few faces fell. What disturbed her however, was how many faces developed menacing grins.

"Okay, Rukia-chan." They said through snickers, "We dare you to sneak into Kurosaki-kun's closet before we all go to sleep, and you have to spend the _whole_ night in there."

Rukia's mouth dropped. Not out of shock, or embarrassment, but because of just how _clueless _these girls really were. None of them had even the slightest idea that this 'super crazy dare' was really just something Rukia _had_ to do in a time not so long ago.

"Fine!" she gave a triumphant grin in advance, and was quickly deflated.

"Oh we're not done yet, Rukia-chan!" another bought of giggles followed this. Rukia looked to Yuzu for support, but the fair-haired girl could merely shrug and say that 'they were playing by the rules'. When she then looked to Karin she wasn't very surprised to see a similarly devious grin to that of her friends' plastered across her face.

"Before you hop into Kurosaki-kun's closet first you have to give him a good-night kiss, _and_ you gotta say 'sweetdreams'."

Now Rukia's mouth hung out of embarrassment, "What?! Why on _earth_ would I do that?!" he shouted, though under her breath. It was quite late after all.

Karin was the one to speak then, "Come on, Rukia-chan. Please? You can make it our best birthday present ever!" Rukia wanted to remind the girl that she had already bought them Princess Chappy on DVD. What better birthday present _was_ there?! But looking at Ichigo's sister she noticed the familiar glint in her eye that only her brother was known before to hold.

Heaving a sigh, she signed up for her own demise, "Fine… happy birthday…" she muttered, hoisting herself off the floor and slipping out of her sleeping bag before silently leaving the room.

The group of girls all let out gasps of shock and quickly scurried to follow her, though not nearly as quietly.

Though the hall was dark, Rukia slipped stealthily down the corridor, not making a sound, and stopping in front of a different door with a small sign hanging from it. Despite the shadow, she knew it read _15_.

She looked back to see Karin with an almost impressed expression – to see Rukia doing something so brave (or stupid…), and Yuzu wore a look of uncertainty. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to the door and pushed down the handle.

_Here goes…_

Behind her Karin and Yuzu led their friends as far as the door, which Rukia left ajar. Each of them eagerly peeked inside and watched as the raven-haired girl padded cautiously across the dimly lit room and approached the bed in which Ichigo lay asleep. Rukia heard the worried hums coming from Yuzu as she came to a halt at his bedside, but she ignored them.

_Come on, Kuchiki! One small peck! He's not even awake!_

But, despite herself, she was nervous. Rukia looked away for a moment; bashful. It was then she noticed something on Ichigo's desk, reflecting the glow from the moon. She looked closer and a small gasp escaped her lips when she saw that it was a frame holding the photo Isshin had taken only today – of just the two of them.

_He looks happy, _she mused, _and… kinda handsome._

Her eyes widened at that last thought. Surely that was a joke! However, her mind couldn't seem to find any humour. A pink tinge stung at her cheeks, _Surely not!_

Then she daringly stole a glance back at the boy under the covers. He looked remarkably childish when he was asleep. His frown lines – which until now Rukia thought were permanent – were all smoothed out, and his breath came and went in a relaxed manner.

She was well aware she was being watched, and did not even bother to check behind her for the bunch of girls that were squeezing together to get a good look at what was about to happen.

_He does look cute… might as well admit it, Kuchiki, and get this whole thing over with._

Without another thought, Rukia leaned down slowly. She couldn't help but scowl at how awkward Ichigo had unconsciously made this for her. He was lying on his back with his head tilted _away_from her. She muttered a few choice words before reaching across and gently tilting his head the other way. Her heart almost leapt from her chest when he shifted, and her desire to slap him rather than kiss him only continued to increase.

She then bravely filled the rest of the gap and brushed her lips over his for a quick second before pulling away. Her cheeks were no doubt crimson now as she released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and moving her lips to his ear whispered, "Sweet dreams, Ichigo."

That was it. She had fulfilled the hard part of the dare. Ichigo hadn't even woken up! And now, all that was left to do was spend the night in his closet – cinch!

Casting a glance back at the door, Rukia saw the girls bashfully retreating back up the hall to their own beds. She thought she heard a faint embarrassed mumble of 'Goodluck Rukia-chan' coming from both Karin and Yuzu, but she wasn't exactly sure.

The door closed out with a quiet click and Rukia gave Ichigo one more glance before she would go into his closet for the night. However, when she _did_ gaze around she was shocked by the sudden temptation to touch those lips with her own, just _once_ more.

_No! _cried a voice in her mind, _Do you even _realise _just how risky it was the _first _time?!_

The voice had a point, Rukia knew that, but she couldn't hear it. That little voice was being drowned out by the temptation, the horrifically welcomed sense of _lust_.

Before she could tell herself to stop, before she could even think straight, Rukia found herself once again just _inches_ from Ichigo's face, and she was getting closer.

Then it came.

"Yo."

She could have flown to mars right then and there, and she knew under any other circumstances she could have screamed, but fear had taken that ability from her. She was now staring down at Ichigo, who simply lay there; eyes wide open, looking directly at _her_.

"Enjoying the party games?" his voice was clear, not even a _little _muffled by sleep, and Rukia could even see a faint pink gracing his cheeks in the moonlight.

Though what she _saw_ wasn't even near her train of thought at that moment. Her eyes were still wide and her hand was now firmly clasped around her mouth, "You… you knew?"

The orange haired teen gave a small shrug, pulling himself up and sitting on his bed. Rukia only blushed more when she noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. The boy she had met on her first night in Karakura town had fluttered away. Ichigo had grown more toned and matured right before Rukia's very eyes – and she hadn't even noticed. Until the man he had become was now sitting half-naked right in front of her. He looked striking, and it only made her breathing _more_ difficult.

"The walls are very thin, Rukia." His reply came then, and he rolled his eyes a little before muttering; "It's hard to sleep with all that giggling."

"You!" she gasped, "You were awake?!"

A small smirk played across his lips, "Can't turn down a dare, can you? Though I have to say, it was a nice surprise." He looked so calm, so cool to Rukia. She never would have guessed his heart was beating a hundred miles a minute.

The raven-haired girl didn't even budge for the long silence that followed, though her face only continued to grow redder.

Then, "Why didn't you say something?!" she hissed, now scowling. No, that was an understatement. She was seething, "You! You're such a jerk!"

Reaching out to slap him, Rukia let out a quiet yelp when Ichigo easily caught her wrist, holding it in a firm, but gentle grasp.

"Let me go." She growled, using anger to mask her mortification. But Ichigo was not fool, and tonight her felt suddenly a little more daring than usual.

Pulling her down towards him, he whispered in a deep throaty voice; "What if I don't _want_ to let you go?"

She gasped again, though it wasn't like the others. This time she sounded, shy, nervous.

"Ichigo…"

He didn't reply. Without a single word, Ichigo pulled her further down, on to the bed, and took her lips with his. She squirmed for a minute, though never pulled away. Then she relaxed into the kiss, and Ichigo shivered at the delightful moans she began to make. The way she tugged at his hair, the way she instinctively bit softly on his lip, the way her body felt against his. It had him feeling insanely engrossed in their actions.

They broke apart after a minute of so, though they were breathing heavily.

There was another silence, though much more relaxed than the first. Ichigo let out a husky chuckle then, catching Rukia off guard, "Now _that_… was a goodnight kiss."

The raven-haired girl lifted her head from his chest, her violet orbs losing themselves in his amber gaze, "So is this 'goodnight' then?"

The words had just left her mouth when Ichigo slid her of his chest, turning to the side so her could face her. He wrapped his arms lazily around her waist and rested his head back against the pillow, "As long as the giggling has stopped, sure."

He couldn't escape the blush that crept its way onto his cheeks when he felt a pair of soft lips graze against his bare chest, "Sweet dreams then, Ichigo." Rukia nervously snuggled against him.

A 'dumb' smile found his lips for the second time that day, "Yeah, you too."

* * *

At nine o'clock the next morning, seven girls all awoke with a start.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in my closet, Midget?!"

Without a single word they all dashed from the room and hurried down the hall. On the other side of a certain Ichigo's room voices were raised and the girls could only imagine the chaos that was going on.

"I was _dared_ you fool! Don't flatter yourself! It's not like I'd want to spend a _minute_ in _your_ closet, let alone the whole night!"

"Then why didn't you just say 'NO'?!"

"Because it was a **dare**!Ugh! You're _impossible_!"

Karin, Yuzu and the others gave each other guilty looks while inside the two _continued_ to argue.

"Well… I guess we can safely say we were wrong." One girl muttered as they shamefully made their way from the door and downstairs, "Looks like Rukia-chan and Kurosaki-kun really _don't _love each other."

Yuzu nodded glumly, "I'll have to make Rukia-chan something nice, to apologise for all this."

Back in the bedroom the girls never noticed the voices suddenly die down.

"Are they gone?" Rukia asked curiously, resting her head on Ichigo's chest gazing intently at the photograph on his desk, while he wrapped his arm snugly around her, holding her close.

"I think so," he replied dismissively, not even bothered to open his eyes while he spoke.

Rukia looked away, a little guilty, "I should tell them… that I never quite finished the dare."

Ichigo's chest shook with a silent chuckle and _knew_ he was earning a glare for it, "So you didn't spend the night in the closet. We can tell them _someday... w_hen they're a little older."

She blushed again when his lips gently pressed against her hair.

"When they're older." She agreed.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow... this is the THIRD time I've had to write this author's note... damn crappy site keeps failing everytime I go to save! Haha!  
Well third times the charm, so here goes!

My writer's block has finally passed! Well... at least for now I guess! This was an idea I got while babysitting actually, and I just HAD to write it out! And I'm so glad I did, because for once I'm actually REALLY proud of how it turned out!  
I hope you guys enjoyed this one, 'cause I absolutely _loved_ writing it!  
I think it deserves lots of reviews, but that's just me, hehe! Let me know what _you_ thought, please!

Thanks to all of you who have read, commented, favourited and alerted this story! This really does go out to you!

Anyway, I'm gonna grab a wink of sleep now! and hopefully I won't have to write this out _again_!  
Bye bye,  
Kami!


	5. To Spend My Last Moments With You

To Spend My Last Moments... With You

"Rukia…" he spoke softly to the raven-haired girl before him, bring his hand up to press it against her delicate, pale cheek, "If anything happens…"

She raised her own, smaller hand up to take his from her cheek and hold it gently between them, "Don't you dare say that, Ichigo. You're not going anywhere, you hear me?"

He chuckled, despite his inner terror. She watched him lower his head for a moment before gazing back up to her. She gasped when her violet eyes met his warm amber orbs once more.

"You need to tell my dad… I know he's an idiot, but let him know I'm grateful. Grateful for everything he's ever done for me; for his support in all my choices; for his support when I chose you."

She nodded, and it was clear as day that she did not want to be having this conversation with the orange-haired Shinigami before her.

"Tell Karin and Yuzu that I'm as proud of them as any big brother could ever be. They've grown up so much since mom… and they were always so much stronger about her death than I was. I'm just… I'll miss them."

She was making that face now. Ichigo noticed her severely unhappy expression, and was sure she was sick of this talk from the minute it had started.

"Tell everyone, all the guys who stuck with me through the years; when we took on Aizen, when we saved you… tell them I'll always be thankful, and I'll repay them for their friendship someday."

"Ichigo, you're not going to – "

There it was. He had passed her level of patience. He found it so funny; how she could get tired of him, even at a moment like this. Even when his walls were down, and he was finally letting her know what he needed to say.

"Rukia," he cut across her words gently, and she ceased speaking immediately. He smiled and brought her hand up to his lips, giving each knuckle a soft kiss before meeting her gaze now. In her eyes he could see all the frustration he had just brought out in her; hazed with concern. He finally spoke again when he knew she was definitely paying attention, "I just need you to know… I love you, Rukia. I always have, and never forget that."

_He can be such a fool sometimes. _It was not the first time he had said it, but his words still brought a tear to her eye, "I love you too, idiot."

With that, he lowered his lips over hers.

They stayed like that for a while. Just holding each other; revelling in the connection that they could only feel when together. Ichigo gently tilted her head back and parted her lips with careful precision that he had mastered with the small woman pressed against him. The kiss deepened, and Rukia understood that whatever worries he was still unable to voice to her would be spoken through his passion – his passion in everything. He pulled her closer to him still as their lips finally parted, though they remained extremely close.

"You should go." she whispered, her warm breath hitting the skin on his neck as they embraced for what almost felt like the last time.

"I know." He slowly pulled away from her. When they had finally let go, no longer holding on to the other, both seemed to feel a sudden and harsh emptiness building inside of them. This would after all, prove to be the biggest battle of their lives to date.

"You better come back, Kurosaki." She gave him that infamous threatening stare, to which he gave a rare smile.

"I always do."

Then, he was gone. She watched him walk away, and straight into…

Her brother's office.

"Come in." came the rough but calm voice of Kuchiki Byakuya.

He heard the door slide open, and when he did look up, he regretted not checking who was there before allowing them access.

_Him_.

Kurosaki Ichigo stood in his office, his typical scowl ever prominent on his face as he approached the desk.

"Hey, Byakuya." He greeted half-heartedly.

"It's Captain Kuchiki to you, Kurosaki." The man replied with a collected tone, used to hide his the fact that his blood was boiling at the mere sight of the substitute Shinigami, and the 6th division captain wondered then what force could possibly have convinced this arrogant, self-centred _boy_ to come to him.

"Ah, right. Sorry, I guess." He replied then, scratching the back of his head nervously. This odd behaviour did not go unnoticed by the male Kuchiki, who was briefly curious to know where his usual ignorance and atrocious manners had flown to.

"What do you want, Kurosaki? I'm much too busy at the moment to merely sit and wait for you to speak. If you wish for someone with that much patience, I would suggest speaking to my sister… she seems to hold some sort of tolerance for you."

Ichigo's eye twitched then and for a moment his hands balled into tight fists, and it became blatantly obvious to Byakuya then that the strange act Kurosaki Ichigo was using was nothing more than that – an act. He had yet to know what the boy hoped to achieve with it though.

Ichigo swallowed down the snide remark he almost let slip at that instant. _Tolerance, eh? Wonder if you know the difference between patience and love, you bigoted jack!_

"Well… Kuchiki-sama." Oh, that had _killed_him, "Actually, I'm here to speak to you about Ruk – your sister."

Now he had Byakuya's attention, "What matters have you to discuss regarding Rukia?" he questioned, and his brow furrowed with what Ichigo almost dared to call concern, "Is she hurt? Ill? Did you do something stupid to cause her harm, Kurosaki?"

The last part was much more of a threat than a question, and again Ichigo found himself biting his tongue. _Pompous bastard! I'd never lay a finger on Rukia to cause her harm, you conceited asshole. _He was mindfully proud he hadn't beaten the older Kuchiki into his desk… yet.

"N-no…" he refrained from using Byakuya's name at all now, "I wished to ask…" The head of the Kuchiki Clan now stared intently, waiting for the orange-haired boy to slip up.

Ichigo let his eyes fall closed, taking in a deep breath. If he was going to die here, at least he did so… loving her – how cheesy was he? He let out the breath, and opened his eyes to stare Kuchiki Byakuya dead on now. The 6th division captain could not help but notice the new look of determination in the Ryoka's eyes.

"I came, Kuchiki Byakuya, to ask you for permission…" Byakuya's fists were suddenly clenched tight enough for his knuckles to turn white, but Ichigo went on anyway, "Permission to take you sister's hand; in marriage."

It was Byakuya's turn to feel burnt. There was a long silence after that; one where the two Shinigami simply stared the other down, waiting for their opponent to either blink, or run for the hills. However, neither felt like being defeated today, and Kuchiki Byakuya accepted the Ryoka's determination with a bitter sense of approbation.

He actually had the guts to approach his lover's brother – that sent his blood boiling once again, but he ignored it – in _his_ world, where _his_ rules apply, and request _his _permission to be with _his _sister. For his sanity's sake; Byakuya would only focus on the first three parts to the circumstances.

He knew his sister was in love with the idiot... and that left him with really only _one_ choice.

Ichigo, for his own part, stared on with a stony face, and prayed that Rukia's brother was not able to hear his heart crashing against his ribs. He had promised Rukia not to draw his sword… worse yet; he had _left_ it with her…

Regretting that last element more than anything else, Ichigo awaited what was next; expecting either his torture, or his death.

"Very well, Kurosaki."

He had not been expecting that.

"W-what?" he spluttered.

Kuchiki Byakuya heaved a sigh, though he wanted to do so much more. The orange-haired _child_ was still in his presence; using up the last of his self-restraint.

"Are you deaf?" he replied, more snappishly than he would to any other person who may approach him, though he thought it quite mannerly for the current situation.

"N-no." came the boy's short answer, and in his stony expression, Kuchiki Byakuya swore for a moment, he saw a fleeting gleam of overpowering joy. Such an emotion could only remind him when he was in a situation quite _similar_to Kurosaki – only he was in his sister's current position. Ichigo then gave him the biggest surprise of all. He bent down into a low bow, "Thank you, Kuchiki-sama. I promise I will not let you regret this honour."

_Trust me Kurosaki, I already do_. That was what Byakuya wanted to say. Oh, he wanted to say that so very much but, in that instant, he couldn't actually find it in himself to do so. Instead he waved off the Ryoka with a flick of his hand and watched as Kurosaki Ichigo left his presence. No doubt to go give the 'good news' to his sister.

He had no idea what she saw in him. She could have anyone in her currant status of nobility, but she chose _him_. He could only sit back though, and notice just how alike he and his adopted sister truly were. He had loved once, against everyone's wishes, he had loved. It was for that reason – and that reason _alone_ (he told himself) – that he would allow this marriage to take place.

_It probably won't last to the reception… _he silently hoped.

"Ichigo? Ichigo!" he turned on heel at the sound of his name, just in time to catch the girl that was running into his arms.

"Hey there," he spoke softly, pressing his lips to the top of her head while she buried herself into his chest, "Long time no see, huh?"

"Are you okay?" she asked immediately, taking a step back to examine him. He bit back a laugh as she pressed her small fingers into his sides – checking for a broken rib undoubtedly.

"That tickles, idiot."

She gave him a wide-eyed expression then, "You're alright." Her voice came out as nothing more than a breath.

"Not a scratch."

And she was in his arms again, holding herself against him with as much strength as her tiny body could muster – which, surprisingly, was quite a lot.

"I was so worried. I should never have let you do something so _stupid_. Asking my brother for permission! Were you out of your mind?!" she hit him square on the chest then, causing the powerful Shinigami to yelp in pain.

"Hey! Watch it, midget!" he grumbled, scowling down at the woman before him, but it wasn't long before a small smile tugged at his lips, "Well… he didn't look too pleased, but he allowed it."

Now she looked shocked, and he could only laugh to see her expression.

"H-he gave you permission… he accepted you?"

"I wouldn't go _too_far there, Rukia, but yeah; permission was given."

Before he could speak on the matter anymore, she had jumped up onto him; wrapping her arms around his neck as she crashed her lips against his. Ichigo held her closer, spinning her around a few times to hear her giggle, before parting from her all too reluctantly.

"You didn't tell him about the…" she trailed off as he lowered her back on to her feet. He watched her bring a small hand up to her belly for a moment before meeting his gaze again.

Ichigo shook his head. He had definitely _not_told Byakuya about _that_ just yet.

"Lets take this a step at a time, okay?"

She smirked, "Okay."

They began to walk back to the Soul Gate. Ichigo kept his hand loose at his side, waiting for her to slip hers into his waiting grip. She did – she always did.

"Chicken."

He laughed to hear that, knowing she knew that was far from true.

"I love you too."

* * *

Rukia walked along the park path. The Autumn breeze had her hair blowing out in all directions, but she was grateful for the excuse to wear such a baggy sweater. It had been one month since that day – the day when Ichigo made one of the most honest displays of love he could ever have managed – other than actually proposing. The day when he went up against her brother – Kuchiki Byakuya, and honourably asked his permission… for marriage.

Now, today, Rukia had been called out after work by Ishida, saying that she had a visitor.

She had not been expecting _this_ visitor.

"So, Brother," she began after a long silence, keeping her eyes on her surroundings rather than on the man walking alongside her, "What matters have honoured me with your visit?"

Kuchiki Byakuya, even wearing the clothes of a modern civilian, still held a strong heir of nobility as he walked next to his sister. She noticed the looks they were receiving from those passing, and wondered how odd it must look to see such a contrasting pair of people wandering around together. She really was nothing like her brother.

Yet, in a way, they were completely equal.

After another short silence, Byakuya decided to speak, "Why him?"

She could not say she hadn't expected that question, "Because I can't think of a reason to be with anyone else." She replied honestly, "He's everything I'm not, Brother. He's my pillar of strength when I feel weak; he's my light when I feel dark; he's my dark when I feel too bright." She blushed at her own words. She really was getting soft. Ichigo had scoffed when she tried to blame it all on her 'raging hormones', and he was limping long after that.

"He keeps he level… balanced. He has flaws, brother; and believe me when I say I know them all; but it's in those flaws I see how human he is. He brings out the life in me that I never knew I had. Those moments when we're together make me feel like this bond we share – it's invincible." She let out a deep breath then, summing up everything she had said, "I love him."

Byakuya nodded. She was serious about this, and he knew that was all that would ever matter to her.

"I would however, Nii-sama, really hope for your approval." She said after a moment, and Byakuya could only be taken aback by this sudden request.

"I know you don't like Ichigo – I know you don't like him at all. But I do… and I would really hope you could approve of him in the sense that he is my choice, even if you do not actually care for his existence."

Byakuya wanted to sigh, but refrained. He was not used to his sister being so emotional, and he hated to admit that it unnerved him. He would simply blame Kurosaki for this sudden change in how his sister behaved.

"I will… approve of your judgement, nee-san." _Though that doesn't mean I approve of _him_._

She smiled to hear that, and gave a small nod as they crossed the street now to approach a small house – well, small in comparison to the Kuchiki mansion. As far as homes went in this area, it was quite… impressive. Byakuya looked on curiously. He did not know why his sister was taking him to this place, but he followed in an obedient silence.

Rukia really hadn't wanted to bring her brother to her house, but two months into her current situation had the poor Shinigami in a feeble state, and right now – she just needed to pee.

They walked up the drive-way, and she noticed her brother almost appraising the place she had come to call her home.

"Do you live here?" he asked after a minute.

Taking up the key from under the mat Rukia nodded, "Yes, _we_ do."

At that, she had opened the front door and invited her brother inside. He accepted the invitation, stepping indoors and looking around. The house was filled with a warm pallet of peaches and yellows and from the first glances, he could tell it was quite spacious. He could see a comfortable looking living-room to his left, and passed the stairs was a hallway. Judging from the smell wafting up from that direction, Kuchiki Byakuya only assumed it lead to the kitchen.

"Ichigo worked to the bone for this house." She explained, setting her coat on the hanger. She looked a little exhausted, her brother noted, but she was positively glowing all the same. It was an odd look for his typically levelheaded sister. "He saw me staring at it once while we were out walking. A month later, he took me back here, only to give me the key to the front door. It's been our home since then."

Kuchiki Byakuya again could only nod, though he had trouble hiding his admiration this time, and Rukia noticed it with silent delight.

"Rukia? That you?" a voice suddenly called from the direction of the kitchen, alerting both Kuchiki's. Undoubtedly, Kurosaki Ichigo was speaking now, "You couldn't have come at a better time; I just finished dinner." He began to make his way out to the hall. Kuchiki Byakuya was more than a little surprised at the idea of the orange-haired brat cooking for _his_ sister, but again – surprisingly – it did not anger him.

"I figured you might be hungry," he said then, "you know; eating for two now and all, right, Ru – ?"

He had finally made it into view, and surely the look of horror took less than an instant to fully register on both males faces, though Byakuya's had turned to rage in only half that time. Now _that_ bit of information had angered him.

Ichigo just stood there. He gaze moved between the enraged expression on Kuchiki Byakuya's face, to the frustrated look Rukia was giving him. Although, that said, she _did_ look a little amused – but maybe he was just loosing his mind.

"Ah crap…" her fiancée grumbled. Casting another glance towards Rukia, he sighed, "Time to run then?"

She gave him _that_ look, and nodded, "Yup."

Ichigo wanted to roll his eyes at the raven-haired woman. She looked _so _worried to see the 'love of her life' face down death just now – but two could play her game.

"Alright then," he pulled out the pentagonal badge and pressed it to his chest. The Shinigami was at her side in an instant and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. Before she even realised what was happening, he had pulled back again, smiling down at her, "Don't wait up."

And with that, Ichigo was gone. Rukia figured he would already be in Japan now, and her brother still hadn't moved.

Then…

"Kurosaki!"

Another body hit the floor, and the second Shinigami disappeared from her home. Rukia could only roll her eyes. Her baby was going to grow up around one _strange_ family.

But she wouldn't have it any other way.

When she reached the kitchen, she gazed in surprise at the note stuck neatly to the microwave.

_Rukia,_

_Dinner's in here. Follow instructions on the back of this to heat it up – if/when you see smoke call 911. See you in a few hours. I'll try not to get too beat up; no thanks to you, _Dear_!_

_You're brother's face _was_ pretty funny though…_

_All my love, to you and the baby, _

_Ichigo._

She could only smirk, reading along through the detailed instructions for using the microwave that he had scribbled down after that.

_Damn he's fast…_

* * *

**A/N: **_This was originally a dream! The last part is meant to be followed by the immage of Ichigo sprinting from thousands of deadly petals. I didn't know how it was going to turn out, but I think it was okay - hope you guys liked it though. It's a little more random than usual, but it was fun to write._

_Anyway, will you guys let me know what you thought? Please?  
Thanks to everyone who's been reading my stories so far! You're great!_

_Kami!_


	6. Homecoming Kisses

Homecoming Kisses

The orange-haired teen scowled at his reflection. He had no idea why he had agreed to torture himself like this. His sister's small hands were making quick work of his tie as she tightened and straightened it against his collar. The young Kurosaki girl then stepped back to admire her work, "Wow, Ichi-Nii! You look so handsome." She smiled her best smile at her older brother. He tried his best to return it to some extent, but he really was not feeling any bit of the excitement his sister displayed.

Karin seemed to be more on his line of thought, "So, why are you going to this dance again? I mean, you hate dancing, and you suck at it too." The corner of her lip twitched into a smirk as Ichigo directed a perfectly nasty glare towards her. Despite the angry look however, Ichigo had to agree with Karin on that one, "I honestly have no idea, Karin…"

Yuzu was highly unimpressed by her siblings, "Would you two please stop?" she pleaded, shifting her gaze from brother to sister, "It's Ichi-Nii's end of school dance. He _should_ go – it's a right of passage!" Flustered, she reached up to fix Ichigo's tie for the _ninth _time.

"You gotta date?" Karin asked, completely ignorant to what her sister had just said.

Ichigo rolled his eyes and gave a shrug, "Unfortunately…" It was unfortunate, because the fact that he _had_ a date was the only thing _making_ him go.

Yuzu perked up at this information, "What?" she gasped and, in her shock, managed to nearly choke Ichigo with his own tie.

"_Yuzu_!" he hissed, gasping for air.

Snapping back to attention, the young girl hurried to loosen the death knot she had around her brother's neck, "Sorry, sorry!" she repeated as Ichigo took in deep breaths to try and fill his lungs. He raised a hand to let her know it was fine.

"So you have a date then… wow." She spoke as she fixed the tie loosely to its former position. Ichigo gave the fair-haired girl a curious look, "Why is it so hard to believe that I have a date, Yuzu?"

Said girl seemed to be stunned at this question. Opening her mouth immediately to answer, she closed it again just as fast. Her eyes darted around the room as if searching for the right thing to say before finally she gave up and just came out with it, "Well …" she began in a shaky voice, still avoiding her brother's eyes, "I guess… I just never really thought you'd go to something like this without…" she trailed off; afraid to finish the thought. That had been enough for Ichigo however. He knew exactly whom she was referring to.

_Rukia._

It was ridiculous to say that, after two years, the mere mention of that raven-haired midget could still make Ichigo feel as though he had been dealt a blow to the stomach. It was all he could do not to physically flinch when he understood what his sister had meant to say.

"_Aren't you lonely?"_ Ever since he asked, Keigo's words had been ringing through the teen's mind.

What a stupid question to ask him. Ichigo's answer had been no better but like he'd confess his doubts, his worries, to _Keigo_ no less! Unlikely.

If his usual confidante had asked him, he may have opened up and told her what was on his mind the past two years but, she was nowhere to be found anymore.

If somebody were to ask, the black 'x's on his calendar marked off the days until he finally finished high-school, that wasn't what he was checking off however. It was the number of days since _she_ had gone from his life.

He would often wonder if he had been naïve in thinking that she'd occasionally visit. If maybe, somewhere along the line, he had managed to have thought himself a more important friend to the midget than he actually was.

Had she ever cared about him? _Really _cared about him?

He had to admit… he had begun to have doubts around day 270.

He found himself frequently lost in the speculation that, had he known then as he was fighting Aizen exactly what his final Getsuga Tensho was sacrificing – his powers; his ability to protect; Rukia… – would he have made a different choice?

It was a preposterous question without a doubt. Of course that wouldn't have changed his decision to give up his power to save everyone. However, Ichigo did believe that if he _had_ known all he was giving up, he might have tried to source out another solution before settling on that particular method.

The feeling of abandonment never did really leave him. He hated to admit just how dependant he had become on the midget's company over the time they had known each other, but it couldn't be denied either. When he had been so intent on shutting everyone else out, she had managed to come into his life and break down the wall he had been built and, for once, he had been glad for the destruction.

It hadn't been until she was taken away from him the first time that he had truly come to realise just how important the raven-haired midget had become to him. He had seen her as one of the closest friends he had ever had. She knew everything he was feeling just by getting a good enough look at him, and he was the same when it came to her. When she was taken back to Soul Society, he knew immediately that he couldn't go on living in a world where someone that close to him ceased to exist. He had not been able to save his mother, but he swore that would never be the cause with Rukia.

As time continued to pass by, he knew that the bond they shared was always growing. It was obvious. After a while, this short, stubborn midget had managed to fuse into his everyday life and become a huge part of his world.

During the Winter War, in Hueco Mundo, when he had felt her spiritual pressure drop… Ichigo could never quite describe how helpless he felt; how desperately he needed to save her. He was willing to sacrifice everything at that moment, Aizen, the war, Inoue… just to run to her and kill the bastard that had hurt her. When he heard _him_ say she was dead.

His world had literally collapsed.

He had fought on, holding hope in the back of his mind that somehow she was alive. He needed that hope to function. Had he let himself believe that she was definitely gone… he would never have survived out there. He fought on and had told himself that, when it was all over, he would find that midget and tell her just how damn important her life is to him. How damn important _she_ is to him.

The day he woke up, back home… he should have said it then. He had asked to go outside; hoping she would follow him alone. They were not alone however, and when it came time to say goodbye, Ichigo couldn't find the words he had wanted to say.

How do you tell someone you care for them _that_ much, when that someone is about to leave your world forever? He didn't know, but he still regrets to this day that he hadn't tried.

"Ichi-Nii?" Yuzu's gentle voice pulled Ichigo back to the present. He gazed down at his sister and forced a smile on his face.

"It's okay, Yuzu. I understand." He did, honestly. Turning towards the couch, he picked up his coat and began putting it on.

Desperately wanting to move away from the subject she had regrettably brought up, Yuzu turned and asked, "So, who's your date?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, not happy with having to discuss the sitution with anyone, let alone his sisters. He ran a hand through his spiky orange hair, "Well… I don't really know, Yuzu." He admitted finally, "I didn't want to go, but Ishida approached me a few days ago and told me that he and Chad had set me up a blind date for the night, and manners are the only thing keeping me from staying at home tonight and catching the latest episode of _Deadliest Warrior_ on Tv."

Karin smirked at that, "Don't worry, Ichi-Nii. I'll record it for you."

"Thanks…" he replied sarcastically.

Yuzu looked happy for her bother however, "Well… I think it's a good thing, no matter what you say about it. You're friends are right to make you get out of the house. You need to go and enjoy yourself, like a normal teenage boy."

Once again, Ichigo fought not to flinch physically at his sister's words. He found that over the last two years, he had developed a severe hatred for the term 'normal'. Normal… was _not_ what brought him Rukia. Normal was what took her away.

"I guess you're right, Yuzu." He said with false assurance in his voice. Glancing down at his watch he sighed inwardly, "Well… I had better get going. Good night guys. Tell dad I'll be home early when he gets back from work."

"Okay," Karin called from her place on the sofa.

"Don't be home _too_ early!" Yuzu called out as he shut the door behind him.

* * *

The hotel ballroom was filled with senior year high-school students. When Ichigo arrived in, he immediately found his way to his usual group. Tatsuki caught sight of him first and beckoned him over, "Oi, Ichigo!"

On arriving in to the group Ichigo said a quick hello, before Keigo ran up to them in a fluster.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my _God_!"

Tatsuki sighed, rolling her eyes. "What, Keigo?" she demanded impatiently.

"Chad's making out with Ogawa Michiru!" he burst out excitedly.

For once, Keigo's words caught the spiky-haired girl's interest, "Seriously?" she asked, peering over in the direction Keigo was indiscreetly pointing, "Isn't she in Ishida's craft's club? The one that's afraid of him and Ichigo?"

"Yuh-huh!" Keigo nodded. Sure enough, when Tatsuki looked over, there was Chad playing tonsil tennis with the girl. "Wow…"

"You know, I'm sure he'd respect _your_ privacy if it was one of you." Both Keigo and Tatsuki jumped a little at Ishida's tone, straightening up and looking away from the spectacle.

"Guess you're right…" Tatsuki agreed, still smirking at what she had seen.

Ishida sighed, pushing his glasses up along his nose as he turned to Ichigo, "And you…" he began.

Ichigo raised his eyebrows in confusion, "_Me_? What? I wasn't looking. I only just got here." He started defensively.

"I'm not talking about that, you moron." Ishida replied, "I made arrangements with your date. She's supposed to meet you in the centre of the dance floor at ten o'clock."

Ichigo glanced down at his watch, "That's in like five minutes!"

"I know," Ishida smirked at Ichigo's mild state of panic, "Better get moving. You've got a lot of people to move out of the way if you want to get into the middle."

Ichigo could only glare, "I don't even want to be here!" he countered with a characteristic glare, "Why do you insist on making even the more difficult things impossibly difficult?" With that rhetorical question, the orange-haired teen turned on heel and began to make his way off through the crowd.

The Quincy could only smirk, "He'll thank me one day."

Behind him, Tatsuki perked up, "Hey… that reminds me: I told _your_ blind date for tonight to meet _you_ in the middle of the dance floor at ten too!"

Despite his back being to her, Tatsuki could almost feel Ishida physically tense in panic. There was a long pause.

"Who is it Tatsuki?" he asked finally.

Biting her lip, the black-haired girl prepared for full-blown panic to ensue at her response. She was not disappointed.

"It's Inoue…"

* * *

Ichigo was not enjoying this night. He was not enjoying this night one bit. Had he not _had_ to come out he would still be at home flicking through college catalogues and listening to better music on his Ipod than the crap that the DJ on stage was playing. His classmates were all fairly drunk by now, and the ones that _weren't_ crashing into him in their attempts to dance were busy crying and sobbing about how much they'd miss each other when they all went to college.

Ichigo for one welcomed the idea of distancing himself from Karakura and Karakura high. In the last two years, he could only bring himself to learn that this place held way too many memories of times too far gone for his liking. Ichigo had already decided he needed a change; he needed a new start. He sent out application letters to five colleges, all in Japan, and one to the college of medicine that was much closer (but that was only because his father begged him to, and Ichigo didn't expect to get accepted there anyway). Japan would be far enough. Far enough from the memories, the feelings… from the ghost of her presence that seemed to remain long after she had forgotten about him.

Ichigo glanced down at his watch yet again. It was now 10:09pm, and no sight of anybody else helplessly looking for a blind date. Ichigo sighed. This was stupid. Coming to this place really had been a bad idea. Ichigo was just standing to leave when he felt a tap on his shoulder. _Great…_

Bracing himself, Ichigo turned around only to come face to face with a very crimson Inoue Orihime. Ichigo found himself forcing on a smile, "Inoue. It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too Kurosaki-kun," she said shyly. Then her cheeks darkened even further as she asked, "So does this mean I'm your date for this evening?"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. Ishida had set him up with Inoue? It seemed strange to the orange-haired teen. Ichigo knew he wasn't the most observant, but even _he _had thought that Ishida had a crush on Inoue.

Guess he had been wrong.

"I guess it does." He replied with a shrug. Casting a quick glance around once more, though he wasn't sure what he was looking for, Ichigo turned back to the girl before him, "So… do you want to dance then?"

She nodded.

Reaching out, Ichigo took her hand without another word. Granted, he wasn't the _best _dancer, but no one could deny that Ichigo did know the basics of how to dance. Some might even say he was pretty good, if you rule out Karin's judgement.

Inoue was still blushing furiously as he twirled and moved her around the dance floor. Ichigo couldn't help but wonder if the heat of the packed ballroom was getting to her. He figured maybe she needed to step outside for a moment. Last thing he needed was for his blind date to pass out in the middle of the floor.

"Inoue?" he called as he pulled her a little closer so that she might hear him. The young girl looked stunned at his voice but at least he knew she heard him, "Do you want to get some fresh air?"

Her eyes widened even further as she took in his question. She seemed to be able to only nod, but Ichigo didn't pay much attention to that before he led her out towards the ballroom terrace.

Little did he know that inside, a frantic Quincy was desperately searching for the pair, and cursing himself for unfortunate coincidences.

* * *

Out on the terrace Inoue waited as Ichigo went to get drinks for them. She was positively over the moon. When Tatsuki told her she wanted to set her up for the dance, she had never in a million years imagined that her blind date would be Kurosaki Ichigo! She couldn't believe her luck either. With high-school over and college in everyone's sights, Inoue had hoped to tell Ichigo how she felt before they all separated for third-level education. Maybe he would follow her to Europe while she studied culinary arts. Either way, Inoue was dead set on leaving the dance tonight with having told Ichigo how much she loves him.

Ichigo returned with two glasses in his hands. "Here we go, a diet soda." He said, handing her her drink. She took it with a blush.

Ichigo's brow furrowed. Her face was still quite red, even out in the mild summer air. He worried she may be under the weather, "Inoue, are you okay?"

Said girl almost jumped as Ichigo came much closer to where she stood, his hand raised up against her brow. He meant only to check her temperature, but Inoue did not see it that way.

"Ah, Kurosaki-Kun…" she began hesitantly, trying to take her mind off how his hand was 'caressing' her forehead, "There's something I really need to tell you."

Ichigo looked down at her, his eyebrow was raised, "Oh? Sure, Inoue. What's on your mind."

She gazed up into his curious amber eyes, and decided that it was now or never. Reaching up she took hold of Ichigo's tie and pulled him down so that his lips could meet with hers. I was perfect.

_What the _hell_ is happening?_

Ichigo's mind was in all out panic at Inoue's actions. His intent to push her a million miles away from him was thwarted by shock her actions had put on him. He could barely move, let alone get the girl off of him.

"Stop!" cried a voice from behind him.

At the shout, Inoue moved away. Ichigo turned, to the voice and saw Ishida looking both horror-struck and upset at once. Taking advantage of the situation, Ichigo took two _big_ steps back before turning to Ishida.

"Do you mind telling me what's going on here?" he asked desperately.

Meeting Ichigo's gaze Ishida quickly tried to explain, "Inoue isn't your blind date, Kurosaki. There was a mix up…"

"A mix-up?"

The Quincy nodded, "Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't intend for this to happen. You and Inoue were not meant to be at the same place," Turning towards a now very upset looking Inoue Ishida continued, "You were not supposed to meet Kurosaki tonight, Inoue. I'm terribly so – " Ishida's voice cut off however, as he caught sight of something beyond where Inoue was standing, "Oh… no…"

"What the hell is it now?" Ichigo asked, still desperately confused. Turning his gaze to see what Ishida had spotted, Ichigo's heart nearly leapt from his chest.

Standing not far behind Inoue, in a black, knee-length dress with a red bow tied around the waist and matching black heels was a face Ichigo honestly believed he'd never see again.

"R-Rukia?" he called in disbelief.

She made no acknowledgement to his use of her name. Her face was openly displaying shock, and quite a lot of hurt. Suddenly it dawned on Ichigo that she had seen what had just happened with Inoue.

He took yet another step away from the red-haired girl, "Rukia…" he began carefully, "It isn't – " however before he could finish, the raven-haired girl spun round and rapidly made her way back down the steps to the terrace.

"Wait! Rukia!" Ichigo called after her as she abandoned her shoes in the grass and began to run into the woods that were situated on the hotel premises.

Sparing a quick glance in Inoue and Ishida's direction Ichigo apologised hastily before racing down the steps after the Shinigami.

Inoue felt her heart split in two as he ran after her, "He loves her… doesn't he?" she already knew the answer. Tears began to spill down her cheeks.

Before she knew it Ishida had taken her into his arms. She gasped as the Quincy held her against him and softly hushed her. After a long silence he nodded in agreement to her question, "He does," he admitted, "But that doesn't mean a beautiful girl like you can't find love as well."

* * *

Ichigo couldn't remember the last time he had ran so frantically. His eyes darted around the dark depths of the woods as he rounded yet another tree, still searching for the raven-haired girl. She had not been part of his imagination. She had really been there. He had really laid eyes on her again.

She was real. He had to find her.

"Rukia!" he cried out against the stillness of night.

Finally, after another fifteen minutes of searching, Ichigo stumbled across a clearing. It was very small. He had almost passed it out completely, only for the soft sobs he heard as he drew closer.

Sure enough, she was there. She was sitting in the grass, next to a stream that ran through the gap in the woods. Her back was to him now, and Ichigo could only revel in her physical presence for an instant before her quiet crying brought the harshness of reality back to him. She had come back. She had come home.

And he had hurt her.

He made sure not to make a sound as he approached her, but it was no use.

"No point, Ichigo. I can feel your reiatsu a million miles away." Her voice carried as she raised a hand to wipe away the tears in her eyes.

Damn…

Ichigo stopped; not wanting to invade her space too quickly, "Rukia…" he began, "What you saw back there, with Inoue…" he wanted to continue, but she stopped him. Getting to her feet and facing him, Ichigo saw that she was sporting the most false of smiles as she spoke.

"Ichigo… It's fine. I have no problem with you and your relationships. They are a part of your life and it's certainly none of my business." She spoke with false calm in her voice, and Ichigo visibly flinched at the tone she was using. She was cutting herself off from him, and he did not like it one bit.

He shook his head in disbelief, "Rukia… You're back!" he exclaimed, trying to bring her attention to what he considered a miracle, "You're actually here, and you think I want to discuss my life and my _relationships_?" He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he spoke, "What you saw back there…" he trailed off. He was at a loss as to _what_ that was exactly, but he knew if certainly was _not_ something he wanted.

Her fake smile faltered only a little as she responded, "I'm glad you were so well able to adapt to your new life."

Ichigo's eyes widened at her words. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? _Adapt? __**Adapt?**_ He could practically feel the blood in his veins begin to boil at what she had just suggested. Did she honestly believe that he had _enjoyed_ the last two years? "What the _hell_ is _that_ supposed to mean?" he asked, his voice abruptly raised and his scowl now on at its fullest.

Rukia made no acknowledgement to his sudden burst of anger. Her expression remained tactfully cool as she responded in a rather formal, "I meant no offence. I merely made to state my relief at your well-being since we parted." She refused to meet his gaze as she spoke, "You appear to be doing quite well for yourself. Inoue is a lovely young girl – "

"Enough of your formal _crap_, Rukia!" he cut across, frustration evident in his tone, "And she means nothing to me!" He so desperately wanted her eyes to meet his. He wanted to search them, to know what she was thinking so that he could understand her instead of argue with her over something so stupid, but she was making it extremely difficult for him to do anything else but fight at this point.

Anger building, Ichigo stepped right up to the Shinigami until they were toe to toe, "Rukia. Look at me."

She made no response. He felt his patience reach its limits as he made to repeat himself, "Rukia – "

"I saw you kissing her…" her words were so quiet, they were barely heard even in the silence of the clearing.

Ichigo felt his heart melt at the tone of her voice. What was happening? Here they were, _finally _back together, and some ridiculous little misunderstanding was going to ruin everything for them? He refused to let that happen. He was going to repair the damage done tonight one way or another.

"Rukia… it meant nothing." He said softly, taking yet another step forward.

She took two steps back in response, shaking her head and donning her best of fake smiles again, "It doesn't matter, Ichigo. It's fine."

_Lies._

He advanced again, "Rukia, you have to listen to me. I'm telling you that that kiss meant nothing." His voice remained calm even as hers grew marginally more frantic.

She was working hard to keep her composure, he knew that, but he could see her cracking under his words. "It's _your_ life. You deserve to be happy." She took several steps back now, trying desperately to distance herself from him. Before she knew it, she had backed herself up against a tree at the edge of the clearing.

Ichigo continued to come closer as he spoke, "Inoue doesn't make me feel happier." She didn't respond. Ichigo sighed and shook his head as he continued, "I mean, if it pleases you to imagine me with Inoue, Rukia, then by all means keep dreaming, but I really don't think that – "

Finally, she snapped, "Ichigo! Stop, alright?" she shifted her gaze up to meet his. Her brows were knitted tightly together as she pleaded with her eyes, begging him to drop it – now. It killed him to say that he couldn't do as she wanted, but he knew it was for the best.

"Rukia… you have to tell me what's wrong. I can't fix it, until I know what's broken."

She shook her head, "Ichigo… nothing is wrong. That's the problem!"

It was now time for Ichigo to be desperately confused. "What do you mean?" .

She bowed her head, heaving a long, pained sigh, "Nothing is wrong. There is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with you." She turned away and began pacing. She always paced when she felt conflicted. Ichigo watched her, listening patiently to what she had to say.

"I came back here, after two years in Soul Society where not a day went by that I did not think about you. Not a day went by when I didn't worry about you, wonder about you, _miss _you. I spent every single day _wishing_ I could see you again. I contemplated deserting the Gotei, abandoning the Kuchiki clan; fleeing Soul Society and hiding out here – _just_ so I could see _you _again. For me, life was _unbearable_ without your stubborn, pig-headed self around. The last two years have been _hell_…"

She raised her head just a little, allowing her eyes to meet his again as she continued, still pacing, "Then, out of the blue, they tell me I can go back; that I can see you again, and suddenly I'm not numb to the world anymore. For the first time in over two years, I find myself happy. Unconditionally happy. When I told Urahara of my arrival, he and Ishida decided to have me put on this stupid get-up and go 'surprise'you."

She stopped pacing now, and bit her lip as her eyes began to glaze over, "But when I get there, I was the one to be surprised. I thought you might have missed me… but I guess I was wrong," she shook her head, as if trying to rid her mind of a rather painful thought before continuing, "and in one sense… I'm glad. I'm glad that you managed to move on after I had gone. I'm glad that you were stronger than me. I'm glad that you didn't have to spend as long as I did wishing I could see you again"

She heaved a sigh, "So there, Ichigo. To answer your question: nothing is wrong. You're fine." With that said, she faced away from him, unable to meet his eyes anymore.

Her words hung in the air for a long time. They had hit Ichigo like daggers, and she was none the wiser. After what felt like the longest of silences, Rukia was about ready to leave, when Ichigo finally spoke again.

"Six hundred and forty-seven days…"

His words stopped her dead in her tracks. She spun round to face him, her eyes were wide in shock, "W-what did you say?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

"It's the number of day's since you vanished before my eyes. Six-hundred and forty-seven days I've spent praying that '_tomorrow_ she'll come back', '_tomorrow_… she'll come home'." Ichigo came closer to where she stood and stared long and hard into her eyes as he asked, "Do you really think that I would spend six hundred and forty-seven days, praying for you to come back, just so that I could run off with a different girl?"

That had done it. That had definitely taken her by surprise. She looked up at him with uncertainty evident in her expression, "W-what do you mean, Ichigo?"

"What do you _think_ I mean, Rukia?" he asked in a tone that suggested it he was pointing out the most obvious thing in the world, "Rukia… I can't even begin to tell you how much I care about you," he ran a hand through his hair and heaved a sigh, "…how much I _need_ you."

Her breath hitched in her throat as she took in his words. Her eyes were once again desperately searching through his, looking for answers. He knew exactly what answer she was looking for however…and it was about time he voiced it.

"I love you, Kuchiki Rukia. I've loved you way before I even realised it… and it wasn't until I had lost you that I finally became conscious to it. I don't want to spend another minute without you in my life, because life's just not worth living unless you're there to beat, mock, tease or insult me." He watched as her began to well up with tears, but he had to continue. He had to get _everything_ off his chest.

"When I lost my powers, I thought I'd lost my reason for being, but really _you_ are my reason to live. You make my life a million times better just _seeing_ you in the mornings, and I want to live every single day knowing that I get to spend them with you…" he paused for a moment before finally adding, "But only if you wan – "

She didn't let him finish before she had leapt into his arms with enough force to knock the both of them to the ground. Her lips found his immediately, desperately crashing against his own as he wrapped his arms tight against her waist, pressing her body into his. Never wanting to let go.

After a long while, Rukia pulled away for air, and Ichigo caught a shimmer in her eyes that he had missed more than anything in the world.

He smiled against her lips, "Now that was a _real_ kiss." He said, before covering her face in dozens of butterfly kisses. Marking every visible inch of her as his own, and intending to do the same everywhere else… as time went by.

Rukia melted into his arms, resting her cheek against his, unable to describe just how truly happy she felt at that moment. She had a lot to talk to him about. Her reason for returning was based on just how strong Ichigo's power was becoming. It was going to be her job to help restore him to the great warrior he had once been. Ichigo's reiatsu was growing stronger by the day, and Soul Society wanted him back in action as soon as possible. There was a _lot_ of work to be done.

Rukia felt Ichigo's heart beating gently beneath her as she sighed into his embrace.

"I love you…"

There _was_ a lot of work to do… but it could wait. She had waited two hundred and forty-six days for this too.

"I love you too."

* * *

(A/N): I do sincerely apologise for the CRAP I fed you all earlier...

I don't know WHAT I was thinking. Thanks for whatever reviews and private messages I _did_ get for it... cause I really didn't deserve them! :P Sorry I didn't thank you personally, but I had to get that SH*T off my profile ASAP :P

This is what I worked on tonight in the hopes of maybe SORT OF making it up to you. It's a little less embarrassing than the last one so I'm marginally pleased. I said this before and I'll say it now: I'm hoping to get a really long IchiRuki story into the works. It'll be set on a different story line entirely... and it will be completely original... I think. (meaning if I _do_ write it, be sure to tell me if I'm stealing the idea and don't realize it :P)

So guys... this is me trying to come back from the world of dead authors. Review if you think I deserve it :) Thanks. I hope you enjoyed this piece!

~A


	7. Strum Your Heart Out

Strum Your Heart Out:

After a while at the Kurosaki residence and, spending most of her free time in Ichigo's room, Rukia had come to wonder about it. It had been a gradual curiosity that budded and grew as she pondered about its reason for being. For as long as she had been there, it had never been used, not once. She had come to speculate if Ichigo even knew _how_ to use it. It looked as though it was merely there for display, which was such a shame really, as she would have loved to know how it sounded when used properly.

One day, while Ichigo was in the bathroom having a shower, boredom and curiosity had gotten the best of the raven-haired Shinigami as she tore herself away from her manga and leapt off his bed, pattering her way across the floor and plopping down on the ground beside the strange and intriguing object. She simply stared at it for a little while, taking in its dark and glossy blue colour as she observed her reflection in its body. Then, ever so slowly, she had raised her hand and stroked the shimmering blue coat, before finally drawing her dainty little fingers across the strings, one at a time.

It made such an amusing sound and she bit her lip to hold in her silly excitement at having created such a noise. It was a funny looking instrument, this 'guitar' as she had learned to call it. She had seen them played on the music videos teenagers tended to watch on the Tv, but she never tried playing one herself, even though it was so close at hand. Still captivated by the ringing of the strings, Rukia repeated her earlier action again, this time going from the bottom string to the top. It made a new sound. She sat there rather chuffed at herself for having learned to make not one, but _two_ noises out of this human contraption.

That's when she heard a sound that was _not_ coming from the guitar. A sudden cough from behind her caused the petit Shinigami to jump with shock before spinning around to face the person who had butted-in on her very important learning exercise. Ichigo stood at the bedroom door. His hair was dripping and he was wearing only his towel, but that wasn't what had Rukia so startled at the sight of him.

It was his eyes. In his amber stare she saw a haunted look that both confused and scared her. She regretted at that moment that she had ever laid a finger on the instrument.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo." She said immediately, without him having spoken a word, "I shouldn't have touched it without asking you first."

Her voice seemed to snap the teen back to the present, realisation dawned on him as he finally acknowledged that she had now stepped away from the guitar, looking rather guilty as well.

"It's fine, Rukia." He said, but Rukia could hear his voice was still very distant as he turned to leave the room again.

She wanted to try to get him to open up. She wanted to understand why it was so bad that she touched his guitar. She wanted to know why the very sound of the instrument seemed to cause her orange-haired friend so much pain.

"Maybe you could play me something sometime. Eh, Ichigo?"

That stopped him dead in his tracks, and Rukia knew immediately that her words had only made things worse. The hand that was not holding his towel in place had balled into a fist by his side and was noticeably shaking. Ichigo heaved a sigh and shook his head before replying in a voice that he was clearly working very hard to control, "No… Rukia. I'm sorry."

Without another word, he exited the room, leaving a very confused Rukia in his wake.

* * *

She had taught him everything he knew about that instrument. She always loved to hear him play, and he loved playing for her.

After she died, his interest in the thing did too. His father, not knowing a thing about music, had given Ichigo her old guitar. He had tried once or twice to find the will to do more than just tune the thing but he had no reason or motivation to bother. So the beautiful blue guitar would just sit in his room, perfectly tuned, but never played.

It was easier that way.

Two very contracting sounds echoed through the Kurosaki house that day. One was a smooth and clear note. G-major in this case. The other was an extremely distorted attempt to copy it.

_The young boy frowned at the offending instrument, as it seemed to refuse to play any note the same way his teacher's did, "This is stupid…" he grumbled in frustration._

_His obvious irritation was met by his mother's soft laughter, "Oh, Ichigo. Don't say it's stupid. You're getting better at it everyday and you know you are." She put down her own guitar and placed her arms around the boy's shoulders, giving him a loose embrace before pulling away and gently ruffling his hair, "All you need to do is practice, practice, practice."_

_Ichigo gave a sceptical expression, but his frown had left his face at his mother's words. She was right, he supposed. He really did just need practice and, with a little bit of effort, before long Ichigo had become an excellent guitar player. _

_He could still see how happy she always looked to hear him play, "Oh, Ichigo! You're my little star."_

He woke suddenly from his sleep that night. He couldn't think of a reason for his rising in the middle of the night but he had figured, since he was up, he might as well go to get himself a glass of water.

As he made his way down the stairs, Ichigo could hear the soft sound of music coming from the living room. On entering the kitchen, he glanced into the living-room to find Rukia curled up by the slowly dying fire, listening to the low volume music that played from the radio near-by.

"Rukia?" he called quietly across the room.

She jolted a little at his voice, but turned to face him then with a sleepy expression, "Ichigo? What are you doing up?" she asked, her voice sounding very confused.

"Just getting a glass of water," he held up the drink for emphasis as he walked further into the room to where she lay on the floor, " And I could ask you the same question." He added with a small smirk.

She smiled at that, turning back towards the radio, "I couldn't get to sleep," she explained in a voice that reflected her fatigue, "I find that listening to music often helps me calm down."

_What's causing her to panic?_

"Calm down from what?" he asked cautiously.

She shrugged in response, "Thinking too much, I suppose."

Had she still slept in his room, he probably would have heard her get up to head downstairs but now that she stayed in the twin's room that wasn't possible. He silently wondered how many nights she had had to come down here.

_She's hiding something from me…_

His brows furrowed at the thought, "Rukia… what's on your mind?" he asked finally, hoping she might confide in him. There was clearly something that was keeping her awake at night and that bothered Ichigo more than he'd like to admit.

At this question, the Shinigami's violet eyes moved away from the radio and found his own. He searched their gaze, intending to find the answer to his question, but there was no such luck. All he could tell from her expression was that, whatever this was, it was draining her – both physically and emotionally.

She shook her head as if to tell him to simply leave it, but he wasn't having that.

"Rukia…" he warned. She would know from his tone that he wasn't planning on dropping the subject.

She groaned in response, dropping her head so that it fell on to her arm as she continued to lie on her stomach; wrapped up in her Chappy blanket. Finally, she explained herself, "It's just a stupid nightmare, Ichigo…"

Her voice was cool as she spoke, but Ichigo could sense the dread the mere mention of this nightmare caused Rukia. He could feel it in the way her reiatsu shook.

"Oh…" he replied, pretending to be unaware of her anxiety. He took a place on the floor beside her, lying on his stomach and meeting her gaze once more as they lay face-to-face, "Well… if it's _just_ a stupid nightmare, then I'm sure you wouldn't mind telling me what it's about."

He wanted her to open up, to let him in, but tonight she seemed to be having none of it. It unnerved him to think that there was something that was troubling her so much that she was unable to trust even _him _about it. He hated to see her eyes look so drained.

She shook her head once more, "No, it's fine Ichigo. Like I said: it's just a silly little dream," she raised her hand to gesture towards the radio, "and the music really does help to get rid of them anyway."

Ichigo heaved a defeated sigh. He wasn't going to win this tonight. "Okay… if you say so, Rukia." He replied, getting back to his feet, "Just… don't stay up all night, okay?"

She gave him a ghost of a smile and nodded, "I'll try."

That was all he could hope for, for now. He hated that she had to spend nights where she woke up in fear alone. He hated that he couldn't tell when she woke up, but what he hated more was that he couldn't seem to find a way to help her fight off her nightmares. Making his way out of the living room, he listened to how the music began to fade as he distanced himself from the radio. He suddenly had another thought, "Hey, Rukia?" he said, turning around once more to where the small girl was lying.

"Yeah?"

He brought his hand up, running it through his orange hair as he searched for a simple was to ask this, "Could you do me a favour… and promise me something?" he hoped she wouldn't question him too much on the matter because honestly, he wasn't even sure what he had planned yet.

"What's the something?" she asked.

"Well… I just," he had no idea why the hell he wanted her to do this, but he just hated the idea of Rukia facing her fears on her own when he was more than willing to help her, "Would you mind… waking me, the next time you find yourself getting up in the middle of the night?" when she looked about ready to say no, he quickly added, "Please?"

She looked cautious, as she seemed to almost examine him with her gaze, searching for some sort of hidden motive. When she seemed to find nothing in her study of his expression, she gave a slight shrug and nodded, "All right, Ichigo."

He nodded in return, "Good. Goodnight then, Rukia."

He returned to his bed, but found it practically impossible to fall asleep after having spoken to Rukia. He honestly couldn't stomach it when she wasn't able to trust him with something.

From the moment they met, Ichigo had felt that he and Rukia shared a special bond. A bond that meant that they could share anything and everything and not have to worry about 'saying too much' or 'testing their friendship', because they had a friendship that was solely based on how honest and open they were with on another.

And as time went by, Ichigo had become very reliant on this friendship of theirs. He had also become very reliant on the girl with whom he shared this friendship. Ichigo had learned to care, respect and admire Rukia in a way he had never done with any other girl.

He had begun to love her.

He truly had. It wasn't even the typical teenage kind of love either, the kind that was based solely on lust and sexual attraction – though he _did_ think that Rukia had a stunning figure. That wasn't what he would spend hours awake thinking about. Instead, he would think of how he wanted nothing more than to spend forever with that crazed midget, no matter how much she could torment him t the best of times.

He had gotten himself way over his head when it came to this girl, and he didn't care.

The orange-haired teen closed his eyes that night, his mind already working on ways to try to help Rukia with her nightmares.

It was the least he could do.

* * *

_The smell of blood was overpowering as she finally came to. Shakily, she rose to her feet, noticing that her black robes were covered in the crimson of blood._

_But who's?_

_Then in a flash it had come back to her. A hollow. She had been fighting it… and it had almost won. She remembered how he prepared to take his final blow, before everything had gone white._

_What had saved her?_

_A pained groan nearby quickly answered her question. Rukia spun round and gasped in horror at the sight._

_"Ichigo!"_

_He lay ten feet away, in a pool of his own blood. She rushed over and fell to her knees at his side, frantically looking from one wound to the next, each one as severe as the last._

_His orange hair was matted with dirt and blood, and his face was badly marked and swollen, but when his eyes caught hers, they shone in recognition._

_"Yo…" he said in a raspy voice that caused her to flinch at the very sound._

_She shook her head as she continued to stare in shock, "Ichigo… how could you have…"_

_Said boy began a stream of painful coughs, followed by hisses of pain as he clenched at his ribs. When his body went calm again, he looked up as though about to answer. As his eyes met hers once more however, they began to dull and she watched in horror as his body suddenly grew life-less._

_"Ichigo… Ichigo?" she called out, shaking his body despite the wounds. There was no response however, and Rukia felt her mind swirl with panic. It was not possible… he couldn't just die…_

_No…_

_No._

_NO!_

_"ICHIGO!"_

Rukia awoke with a start, gasping for air as she bolted upright in her bed. Her mind was still swimming as she looked around the darkened room, taking it all in. She sighed in relief when she realised she was back in the twin's room. It had just been another bad dream.

Which meant that Ichigo was still alive and well, and fast asleep across the hall in his own bed. It meant that he was okay. That eased her mind greatly.

It had been the same nightmare… every other night for the past two months. She knew as she went to sleep that it was going to happen but, once she found herself in the dream, everything felt so real. Her heart was still racing from it and everything.

Getting up from the bed, she made her way quietly out of the twin's room, careful not to wake them, and crossed the corridor to where Ichigo was sleeping. Opening the bedroom door, she peered in only to find that his bed was still made, and he was nowhere to be found.

Images of her nightmare filled her mind as Ichigo's absence suddenly caused a wave of panic to course through her. Usually, after a nightmare, she would check in on the orange-haired teen. Seeing him safe and sound in his bed often calmed her down quite a lot.

_Where the hell is he?_ She asked herself. Had there been an order? Was he out there now fighting somewhere without her knowing? Would he be all right? Would he get hurt? All these questions were spinning around Rukia's head as she practically ran downstairs, intent on racing out the front door and searching for the Substitute Shinigami.

As she rushed downstairs, she was stopped however, by the sight of spiky orange hair falling over the armrest of the sofa in the living room. Her eyes widened as she quickly made her way into the room, to find Ichigo fast asleep on the couch.

"Oh thank God!" she breathed, tears practically welling up in her eyes at the sight of him safe and sound. Had something happened to him… she honestly didn't know what she would have done. It scared Rukia to think just how much she depended on the boy that slept before her. If he had actually been killed trying to save her… she would have to be picked up off the floor. She honestly doubted her sanity would hold up if he were to meet the same sort of tragic end that Kaien did.

To lose someone so close to her once… that was enough. And Ichigo… that was a completely different case to Rukia. She didn't know how it had come about, but her feelings for the Substitute Shinigami had certainly come a long way since the day they first met and he knocked her on her ass. As time had gone by, Rukia had slowly grown very fond of his stubborn, pig-headed attitude, and how underneath it all he housed a very kind and caring persona. She had grown to love him.

Of course, she knew it wasn't the same with him. They were very close friends, but Ichigo didn't feel the way she felt for him. It was preposterous to think otherwise.

Said boy suddenly began to stir, and Rukia stepped back as his eyes slowly fluttered open. He let out a low groan as he adjusted to the light.

His eyes then fell on Rukia.

"Oh… you're up." He said in a sleepy voice, sitting up in the seat and rubbing his eyes.

Rukia nodded, "Yes, I'm up… what are you doing down here?"

"I was up late working on something… I came down to get a drink. Guess I must've dozed off." He replied, yawning as he stretched out his muscles. Once he had woken up a bit, he tilted his head to look up at Rukia, "Did you have another nightmare?"

She nodded reluctantly, "Same one actually."

"Is it always the same one?"

She nodded again.

Ichigo's brows furrowed in concern, "Do you want to talk about it?"

This time she shook her head. She most certainly did not want to talk about it. Hoping to change the subject, she asked, "What were you working on?"

He looked away, a little embarrassed as he replied, "Just a song…"

That caught the raven-haired girl's attention, "What? Really?" she asked, her voice suddenly a little excited, "Can I hear it?"

Ichigo heaved a sigh, and gave a shrug before nodding, "Sure…"

With that he left the room. When he returned he held his guitar in one hand. Rukia's eyes widened at the sight, but she made no attempt to comment. Ichigo sat on the armrest of the couch, gesturing that she sit down on the cushion. Rukia did as requested, eager to hear Ichigo play something. She had learned since her previous mishap with the guitar, that Ichigo had learned how to play from his mother. After hearing that, she could understand why he hadn't wanted to play anymore after her death.

She couldn't help but wonder why he suddenly decided to start again now. Before she could wander too far into that thought however, Ichigo began to play and Rukia found herself immediately captivated by the song he had composed.

_Princess don't wait and wait _

_For prince charming to come your way_

_Let me be the hero of your day_

_Let me make it okay_

He had an amazing voice. The sound of it sent shivers running up her spine, and the way his eyes bore into hers made her feel as though this song was just made for her ears alone. His next lines almost stopped her heart, however.

_And princess you stopped the rain _

_Stopped the nightmares, stopped the pain_

_You were the one that saved my soul_

You made me whole

It wasn't possible. There was no way he meant the lyrics to come out as they had. Her shock was plainly visible on her face as she gazed up from the guitar and into Ichigo's eyes. When her gaze met his, she was taken aback by what she saw. His eyes held an unmistakable softness in them as they held her own. His expression was so gentle, she found herself lost for breath.

_So princess open up _

_So I might be the one you trust_

_And I can be the hero of your story_

_And you'll be my symphony._

He finished the melody with a soft cadence. A silence ensued between them, before finally he spoke, "It's been so hard to pick it up since… mom…"

Rukia fought against her shock and forced herself to speak up, "What brought you around?"

Ichigo gave a small shrug of his shoulders, "The other night, when you said you slept better after listening to music; I remembered that my mom used to ask me to play her a song whenever she had trouble getting to sleep," all of a sudden, Ichigo looked quite nervous. He brought his hand up through his hair as he added, "And, I guess I sort of found a little inspiration."

The raven-haired girl smiled, happy that he had managed to finally overcome the wall that had blocked him from doing something he loved, "Really?" she asked, still smiling, "Where?"

When Ichigo met her gaze again, she felt her smile slacken a little and her breath seemed to catch in her throat at the look he was giving her. It was the same look he had as he played her that song. She saw the corners of his lips twitch upwards as he answered her question, "I started to look at what was right in front of me."

Her eyes widened as he leaned a little closer to her, "Rukia, _you_ stopped the rain, _you_ saved my soul… and _you're _my inspiration."

Before she could think of any sort of response, he leant in and pressed his lips softly against hers. When he pulled away, his eyes searched hers, as if waiting for a negative reaction. One which she had no intention of giving. Instead she closed the space between them for a second time, this time allowing for a much longer and deeper kiss to be shared between the two.

After they parted the second time, Ichigo took the petit Shinigami up in his arms and began to carry her from the living room. Rukia looked around in confusion, "Uhm, Ichigo? What are you doing?"

Said boy responded by planting a gentle kiss on her cheek and giving her a quick smirk, "I also figured that, since I can't tell if your having nightmares when you're all the way across the hall, if you sleep with me then I can protect you from them. I don't want to see you upset anymore, Rukia. It kills me to see you upset."

The raven-haired girl gasped at how tormented her nightmares had made him. She felt guilty to say the least, "I'm sorry, Ichigo. I didn't mean to cause you so much grief."

The teen rolled his eyes and scoffed at that, "Shut up, Rukia," he smiled at the look of outrage that crossed her face, quickly kissing her small button nose to throw her off before she could think to smack him upside the head, "Just… stay with me tonight? See if I can't help keep away the nightmares."

From the way he said it, Rukia couldn't say no, "Alright, but on one condition."

"What's that?"

A smile graced her lips as she gave him the terms, "You have to sing me to sleep."

She caught the hint of red that caught his cheeks as they reached his bedroom. The young man smirked however, tightening his grip around her ever so slightly as he promised, "Deal. Always."

* * *

(A/N): So... it's been a sort of productive day. Despite the lack of reviews, I decided I owe another shot at a chapter. Maybe after a year and a half of constant writing to make up for my year and a half of absence I'll deserve more reviews :P

Anyway... I'm getting better. Finished and it's only 5am this time! :P

As always, I hope you enjoy this little piece and please, if you think it worthy of reviewing, I'd _really_ love you for it! :)  
Thanks!  
~A


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